Somebody Else's Song
by Alyxandria
Summary: Chapter 20 up. Romy and various other pairings.
1. A Little Harmless Flirtin'

I don't own the X-Men, Rogue, or Gambit. They belong to Marvel. "Somebody Else's Song" belongs to the band Lifehouse.  
I ain't makin any money, so back off!...Please don't sue me:(

Somebody Else's Song  
By: Alyx

Someone Else's Song - Chapter 1

Their last mission had been a success. Magneto had been defeated again and humanity, for a time, was safe. The mentor and leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier noticed how drained and weary his team seemed lately. It was obvious to him that his students needed a break. He had to practically order his team to leave the X-mansion for a few days. Even after ordering them away, Jean, Ororo, and Scott, along with several other X-Men decided to stay behind with the Professor "in case something happened". It saddened Xavier that his students were so engrossed in what atrocity could occur next that they out-right refused to take a few days off to rest themselves.

_Well_, he thought smiling, _I'll just have to keep them away from the Danger Room._  
The X-Men who consented to go retired to a piece of land Charles owned in a small range of mountains in North Carolina. The days there were warm and the nights were cool and the X-Men stayed in a large cabin about halfway up one of the mountains. There was a stream that led to a small pond not too far from their cabin and a huge field, perfect for picnicking, at the base. It was like a paradise and once they arrived they couldn't have been happier to take this break.  
"Oh mah," the pretty young Southerner known only as Rogue gasped as she alighted from the X-Men's jet, the Blackbird, "Absolutely beautiful!"  
"Sho is, Rogue," Remy LeBeau said, walking down the ramp to stand behind her, "And I ain't talkin' 'bout de land." He ran two fingers through her thick auburn hair.  
"Knock it off LeBeau," Rogue smiled at him, playfully brushing his hand away and launching herself into the air out of his reach.  
Remy smiled up at her as their teammates and friends filed out of the plane. Logan came first, pulling a cigar out of his shirt pocket and lighting it up. He had been craving it since before they left the mansion.  
"Logan," Remy smiled, "I t'ink you have de right idea, mon ami," he lit up a cigarette. Logan grinned at the Cajun and started toward the cabin with several suitcases in tow.  
"Oh, it's beautiful Hank!" the news anchor, Trish Tilby turned excitedly to her lover Henry McCoy, "I'm so glad we decided to come!"  
"Me too, Trish," Hank struggled with the many odd-shaped suitcases that his girlfriend insisted on bringing along, "My dear, was it really essential to bring all these? We're only going to be here for a few days."  
Trish smiled, "Come on, Hank. I'm a little tired," she winked at him, "Let's go find our bedroom."  
"Opal! Come on, baby. I said I was sorry!" Remy and Rogue turned to watch as a raven-haired beauty stomped from the jet with Bobby Drake following and apologizing the entire way.  
"Don't you ever do anything like that again, Robert!" Opal stopped suddenly and turned on him, "I'm going to find our room. I'm going to go inside and take a nap and hope this headache you've given me has gone away by dinner."  
Remy whistled as Opal walked away, "Damn homme, what did you do?"  
Bobby smiled sheepishly, "Well…"  
"Nevah mind, Sugah. The less we know about this one, the better."  
Bobby carried his and Opal's suitcases to the cabin, mumbling all the way. Warren, Kurt and Betsy came out next, carrying their luggage and talking among themselves. Kurt noticed Rogue and Gambit standing off to the side.  
"Are you two going to unpack or would you like me to do it for you?" he asked teasingly in his thick German accent.  
"Naw, we'll be inside in a sec, 'Crawler." Rogue replied, smiling at her foster brother, "We were just takin' in the view."  
Kurt smiled and followed Warren and Elizabeth up to the cabin.  
Rogue inhaled deeply. It had been too long since she had been out like this, away from civilization. She allowed the luxurious feeling of being one with nature sweep through her. Gambit watched her intently, marveling at the way her wavy white on auburn hair blew around her in the wind, the brightness of her green eyes, the gentle curves of her hips, breasts, thighs, and butt.  
_ Damn, dat femme has an incredible ass, he thought with a smile._  
She took his breath away on a regular basis. Not just with her beauty, but with her laughter, her innocence, her spirit, the way she believed he was a good man, the fact that she thought there was still some decency left in the world and the way she silently vowed to lay down her life to protect it. Quite simply, she amazed him.  
"Hey, Chere," he called up to her, bringing her out of her trance, "What say you and me fly into town for some…supplies."  
Rogue smiled, "Remy, we brought everything with us we could possibly need. Food, clothes, bottled water, first aid kits, fishin' gear, tents, wine, beer, cigars, cigarettes. What else do the X-Men need to survive?"  
"How 'bout cards, petite?"  
"Cards? You mean to tell me that you, Remy LeBeau, don't have a single playin' card on your person?"  
"Well, Chere, if you don' believe me, you're welcome to search my person," he smiled mischievously.  
"Remy!"  
"Come on, Chere. Let's me and you sneak off for a little while---"  
"Hey, Rogue!" Wolverine yelled from the massive front porch of the cabin.  
"Yea?" she answered, sticking her tongue out at Remy.  
"Would you mind flyin' into town ta pick me up some more cigars, darlin'?"  
"Wolvie! You brought three boxes with you!"  
"Yea, well that was before Drake decided to ice them. They thawed on the way here and now they're soakin' wet."  
"So let 'em dry out!"  
"Come on, Rogue. We're out here in the middle of nowhere and I can actually smoke to my little heart's content…"  
"Fine! I'll go. But you come get my stuff and put it in my room. And ask everyone else if they need anything, 'cause I'm only makin' this flight once!"  
"I still need cards, Rogue. I'll go with."  
"Fine."  
"Everyone else is good, darlin'. Just the cigars outta do it. You got money?"  
"Yea. Now come get mah stuff. Me and Remy'll be back in a little while."

xxxx

She set Remy down and landed next to him just outside the small town.

"Nice town," Remy commented as they walked down what they guessed was the main street. He placed a pair of black-mirrored sunglasses over his red on black eyes.

"It's a'ight," Rogue commented dryly. She didn't like this town at all. It was too similar to the town she had once called home. The town where she was abused and neglected, where she sentenced her best friend to his eventual death with a kiss, and where she had been chased away by people who had known her all her life. She felt cold and shuddered at the memories.

"You okay, belle?" Remy asked, noticing the shift in her emotions. When they arrived in North Carolina she was in such high spirits, now she seemed so distant and sad.

She forced herself to smile, "Yea, hon. Ah'm just fine."

He didn't believe her for a second.

" 'Kay," he replied, unconvinced.

"There's a gas station," she pointed up ahead, "They'll probably have cards and cigars. You men and your habits."

He smiled and was about to make a snide comment when he noticed a small diner off to the side of the gas station. The sign read: "Roy's Soul Food," and clearly under that in smaller letters: 'best Cajun cookin' this side of the bayous.'

"Hey Chere, you hungry?"

Rogue caught sight of the diner and laughed, "You are such a sucker Remy. Just 'cause the _sign_ says it's good Cajun food, don't necessarily mean it is," although now that they were close enough to smell the grill, her stomach began to growl ferociously.

"Come on. I t'ink I smell hamburgers…"

"We're s'possed ta grill out tonight at the cabin."

"But it's only noon, now. And I guarantee Henry ain't gonna want to leave dat room of his anytime soon to fire up de grill. It's either eat here, or wait 'til we done shoppin' and den go back to de cabin for bologna sandwiches. Den we're still gonna have to wait 'til later tonight for real food at the cookout."

After a few moments of contemplation, Rogue replied. "Okay, you talked me into it. But you're buyin'."

xxxx

"What kin Ah do fer ya'll taday?" the young waitress asked the two mutants.  
"Well, Chere," Remy said, smiling at her flirtatiously, "I t'ink I'll have de crawfish wit' de sweet potato soufflé and a nice t'ick piece of cornbread. And my lady here…what would you like, Rogue?"  
"Uh, the burger an' fries look good. Make that a cheese burger."  
"Alright. Ah'll git right on that. What would ya'll like ta drink? Roy is famous for his sweet tea and his coffee."  
"Ah, well den, we'll have two sweet teas, petite."  
"Comin' right up." The young blonde smiled coyly at Remy and walked away to place their orders and get their drinks.  
"You are shameless, Remy!" Rogue shook her head at him.  
"What?"  
"Oh, don't act all innocent with me, LeBeau. That girl cain't be older'n fifteen and you're makin' eyes at her like she's a 25 year old woman."  
"A little harmless flirtin' never hurt no one, Rogue. You should learn ta live a little. Let your hair down once in a while. 'Sides, jealousy ain't very attractive on you, Chere."  
"Uh, newsflash Sugah. No touching, no flirting," she referred to her mutant "gift." The deadly, uncontrollable absorption powers that were triggered by any skin-to-skin contact, " And Ah ain't jealous."  
"O' course you ain't. Because you know as well as I do dat flirtin' never hurt nobody. Come on, Rogue, loosen up."  
"Wish Ah could, Rem."  
"Give me one good reason why you can't."  
She let out an exasperated breath, "Gambit, mah entire life is about control. Mah powers, the ghosts in mah head…Ah have to be in control all the time. Ah cain't slip up, or Ah risk losing mahself. You, of all people Remy, know how bad that scares me," she finished quietly.  
Remy reached across the table to take her gloved hand in his bare one in a gesture of compassion. He felt bad. He was only trying to get her to open up. She had two very useful assets: youth and beauty. All she needed was a little confidence in herself, or a little more trust in her abilities…  
He looked around the restaurant. It was slightly dusty in places, but he'd eaten in worse environments. The smells and noises from the kitchen nearly overwhelmed his senses if he inhaled too deeply or listened too closely. There was a jukebox in one corner that looked like it had played it's last song sometime in the 1970's and a pool table in another corner where three guys were betting with what appeared to be their weekly paychecks. There were several other patrons sitting here and there in the small diner. They inhabitants were mostly men, some women…  
_When we walked in ev'ry man in de place turned to stare at her. Hell, mosta dem still lookin'. Then an idea occurred to him._  
"Hey, Rogue. I tell you what…I feel like a little bet. What do you say?"  
"Ah ain't in no mood fer that, Swamp Boy," she pulled her hand away gently.  
"Well, dat's alright, I guess. If you don' t'ink you got a shot at winnin'…"  
"Ah didn't say that."  
"Den at least hear me out?" He smiled charmingly at her.  
"Oh, alright! What do ya wanna bet on?"  
"You."  
"Remy---"  
"Get one o' dem boys to buy you lunch."  
"Gambit," her tone was suddenly tighter and more forced.  
"Just go over and flirt wit' dem. Shoot some pool. At de very least, get one of 'em ta buy you a drink. It'll be fun, Chere."  
Rogue thought it over for a moment, "What do Ah get when Ah win?"  
"I buy you dinner ev'rynight for de next month. Any restaurants you want."  
"And if you win…?"  
"I get de pleasure of seein' you smile and havin' a little fun. Not to mention I get ta watch dose boys fall all over demselves ta impress you."  
She eyed him suspiciously, "That's it? No catch?"  
"None at all."  
She was quiet for another moment, than nodded, "Okay. Ah'll do it, if it'll make you happy."  
"As a lark, Chere."

xxxx

"My shot," Jess Cambridge motioned for his cronies to step aside as he prepared to take his turn on the pool table. He leaned over and was about to take his shot when a sugary feminine voice broke his concentration.

"Ya'll boys mind if Ah join you…or is this a private game?" she pouted slightly.

_ Damn_, was the only coherent thought in Jess' head, "Uh, sure honey. You can play. Ya got any money…or you gonna pay up with somethin' else?"

All who were in hearing distance, including Remy LeBeau, picked up the sexual connotation behind his words. Rogue looked down shyly and smiled, "Well, Ah _don't _have any money…"

Jess looked her up and down. She was a looker, all right. She wore a purple tank top with an extraordinarily low neckline that showed an excessive amount of cleavage and a pair of cut-off jean shorts. He noticed two odd things about her though: She had an large white stripe down the center of her hair which he took to be a dye job gone bad; and she was wearing a pair of gloves despite the spring-time warmth.

"Well that's alright honey. We'll talk about what you owe us when we win. How 'bout that?" One of the other men suggested.

"Well, ya'll sure are mighty confident." She grinned strolling closer to the three men. Remy watched, amused. _Amateurs, _he thought_, Dat is not how you talk to a woman you so obviously want to score wit'._

The boys started a new game and Rogue kept a safe distance from them, although she openly flirted the entire time.

Remy ate his surprisingly good food, and watched as Rogue beat the men three times at their own game. As she sunk the last ball into the corner pocket she turned to smile at the three very unhappy men, "Guess Ah shoulda warned ya'll that Ah was taught how ta shoot pool by a _ professional_."

"Yea, guess you shoulda," Jess answered snidely as Rogue took a sip from the beer he had bought her at the end of game one.

_You better be forkin' up some cash, Cajun, _Rogue thought with a smile_, 'cause Ah have the distinct feeling that Ah'm gonna be **real **hungry for the next month or so._

"Well boys, it's been fun, but mah food's been sittin' over there gettin' cold fer 'bout half an hour now so if ya'll excuse me…"

"Not so fast," Jess said walking closer to her. He stood between her and the table where Remy sat. Gambit watched him every step of the way, ready to tear his head off if he tried anything.

"You can't just come over here and yank our chains with all that flirtin' and prancin' around you was doin' and then not put out. That ain't the way it works."

Rogue began to panic. Truth be told, she could kill this man with her super strength in a split second, but she didn't want to hurt him. So she stood perfectly still, and watched him as he stepped closer and closer to her, excruciatingly aware of how much of her deadly skin was showing.

"You gonna at least let me cop a feel, baby?" he stepped closer to her, "And maybe I could get me a little kiss or two…"

_Oh god. He can't touch mah skin! Ah don't need another voice in mah head, 'specially one like his. What was Ah thinkin', teasin' them like that? Ah shoulda known they wouldn't let it go that easily._

Before she knew what was happening his hand shot out to grab her by the arm only to be stopped by the firm grasp of Remy LeBeau.

"I t'ink de lady's business wit' you is t'rough, mon ami. Why don' you an' ya boys go back to ya game now before someone gets hurt."

"You mean like you?"

Remy laughed, "Yea, ami. Whatever you say. Look, me an' my lady are leavin' now and we won't be back ta bother you again so---"

"She ain't goin' nowhere," one of the other men said from behind Gambit, "Not 'till she pays off her debts."

"Pardon?" Remy laughed again, letting go of Jess' arm, "but I recall de lady utterly pounding ya'll's asses in de ground. She don' owe ya nothin'."

"Listen here, ya Coonass---"

"Ain't no need for name-callin' boys," Rogue stepped up.

"You shut the hell up, ya fuckin' slut," Jess turned to her.

"Back _off_," Remy stepped between them.

"Come on, Remy," Rogue placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let's get outta here."

Without any warning at all, Jess took a swing at Remy. Gambit was too fast for him. He caught the punch and in one swift movement twisted the man's arm behind him forcing him into immobility.

"Now I want ya ta listen and listen good, _ boy_," Remy ground out in Jess' ear, "We're leavin' _now_. So why don't ya'll save a little face and back off?"

"Go ta hell," Jess began to struggle in the stronger man's grasp as his buddies advanced on Rogue. Instinctively, she backed up.

_What am Ah gonna do? Ah cain't fight 'em. Ah'll end up hurtin' em. But if Ah don't hold 'em back some kinda way, their gonna touch my skin and then we'll all get hurt._

As the men got closer, Rogue realized she had no choice. Just before one of them went to grab at her, she launched herself into the air.

"What tha fuck!"

"She's a mutie!"

"Aw, hell," Gambit muttered, letting the struggling man go to look at Rogue who floated safely near the ceiling. "Dis ain't gonna end well at all."

As soon as he regained his footing, Jess took another swing at Remy. Gambit easily deflected his blows, trying to stay calm and ease himself toward the door. The last thing he and Rogue needed was to hurt one of these guys in front of all these witnesses, even if it was in self-defense.

Rogue watched the scene from above. Several people had fled the diner as soon as she had launched herself into the air. The remaining people were either too scared to move, or throwing things at her.

Gambit dodged another hit, causing his shades to go sliding across the floor. He looked up and Jess backed away.

"Fuck! This one's a mutie, too! Look at his eyes!"

_We have ta get outta here_, Rogue thought frantically_, My only option is to swoop down, grab Gambit and high-tail it outta here._

As a napkin dispenser flew by her head, Rogue made her dive toward Remy. As bad luck would have it, as she evened off with the floor, she was hit in the face by a flying chair.

She was not unconscious, but still slightly dizzy from the chair shattering on her head. Gambit, heard her cry out when the chair struck her. Without turning from his face off with Jess, he yelled, "Ya alright, petite?"

"Yea," he heard her answer, and then he heard her scream.

Hitting Jess across the face hard enough to knock him out, Gambit turned to see the other two pool players. Each of them had a hand on Rogue's bare arm.


	2. Where Are My Cigars?

I don't own the X-Men. Marvel does.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 2

"Rogue!" Remy shouted. Looking back once to make sure Jess was no longer a threat, he raced over to Rogue and the two men. Violently, Rogue shook the men off of her, tossing one through a window and the other into a booth, breaking it into several pieces. For an instant she silently scolded herself for throwing them too hard, but then "they" took her over. Memories that were not her on surged through her mind.

"Oh...mah…God!" Clutching her head in her hands Rogue shot up into the air and through the diner's roof.

Shards of the ceiling fell around Remy. He leapt away just as the largest piece of wood landed where he was standing a split-second before.

_ "Guess dat's Rogue's way o' tellin' me it's time ta go…"_

With a last glance around at the patrons of Roy's, Remy leapt through the broken window and went running in the direction he thought Rogue might go.

Blinded by concern, Remy did not notice the young woman sitting calmly and quietly in the corner. Nor did he notice how she watched all the events that just unfolded with intense interest. Neither did the young X-Man notice the evil smile spreading across her face when she realized that her plan would soon be put into action and her quest for revenge satisfied.

xxxx

He searched for her everywhere, taking special care not to be seen by the patrolling law enforcement.

"Damnit!" he murmured to himself ducking into an ally as another cop car rolled by, "Dis is just what de X-Men need. Talk about your bad publicity…Ah, Chere. Where you at, girl? I know you gotta be in some serious pain. Lord only knows how screwed up your head is right now. Just hope I find you 'fore any o' dese mutie-haters do."

After almost two hours of searching, it became clear to Gambit that he needed the others' help to find her; or at least Wolverine and his tracking senses. He left the town without being seen and began the hike up the mountain to the cabin. He figured once he got within range of Elizabeth's telepathy, he could call her for help.

"Fuckin' rednecks," he spit out, thinking of Rogue hiding somewhere alone, scared and confused, "I outta go back and---"

Remy suddenly became aware of another person nearby. Then he heard her sobbing.

"Rogue?"

Leaping over a fallen tree, Remy searched the woods for her. His eyes came to rest on her quivering back almost immediately.

Slowly, he crept slowly over to her, but he made no effort to be quiet. He wanted her to hear him. He had no intention of sneaking up on her, scaring her, and have her flying away again. He cleared his throat loudly. She jumped up and turned to him, alarm clearly evident in her eyes.

" 'S okay, petite. It's jus' me. You alright, Rogue?" he used his soothing voice in an attempt to relieve her of her fear.

"Gambit?" she croaked, her mind knowing him, though her eyes – the eyes of the two men she had absorbed - had yet to recognize him.

"Oui, Chere. It's me. Come on. I take you up to the cabin to rest and we figure dis mess out."

"No! You stay the hell away from me you filthy mutie!" she screamed at him, then a split second later, "Ah'm sorry. I haven't gotten them completely under control yet."

He nodded at her, "You gonna be okay, girl?"

She shook her head, new tears forming in her eyes, "Ah ain't never done that before. Never two at once. Ah thought mah mind was gonna explode from the overload."

Again he nodded, "What do you want to do? We cain't stay here fo' long. De cops are bound to start searchin' de woods sooner or later. We need to get to the ot'ers."

"Okay…Remy?"

"Yea, Chere?"

"Are they okay? The two men, Ah mean."

"Dey jus' fine. Don' concern yo'self wit' dem, Rogue. We need ta worry 'bout you now."

Gambit extended his hand to her. Slowly she took it. He pulled her into his strong arms and held her close, carefully avoiding skin contact, stroking her tangled hair and murmuring Cajun endearments in her ear. They stood like that for several minutes while Rogue cried out the remainder of her tears.

After a few moments, she pulled back to look up at him, "Ah want ta go back to the cabin and take a nice, long, hot shower and then Ah want ta go ta bed."

"Shouldn't we get you back to de mansion, Chere? The Professor needs ta know 'bout dis. What if you have some kinda lasting effects?"

"Tomorrow, Remy. Please? Ah just need to rest right now."

He sighed loudly, "Okay…but if you start to feel like somet'in's not right, promise you'll tell me?"

"Promise, Remy," She almost smiled, "Can we go now? We got a long walk."

"Walk?"

"Yea," she looked embarrassed, "Ah ain't quite up ta flyin' yet."

"Okay den. Let's go."

xxxx

"Remy?"

"Hmm?" he answered her as the cabin came into their sight.

"Could we, uh…Do we have to tell ev'ryone 'bout this tonight? I mean, cain't we just wait 'til tomorrow. I don't fell up ta dealin' with it tonight, especially from Logan."

"Okay," he agreed after a moment of deliberation.

They walked up the steps to the front porch. Gambit opened the door and followed her in.

" 'Bout time you two got back. Where are my cigars?"

"Oh. Um," Rogue began.

"Yea, sorry 'bout dat, Wolverine," Gambit laughed, "When we was flyin' back up de mountain Rogue decided she wanted to show off a little bit and do a little flippin' an' divin' an'…I dropped 'em."

"Yer kiddin' me."

Remy shook his head.

"This ain't funny Cajun."

Remy smiled, "I ain't laughin'."

Logan looked menacingly at both the young Southerners before stomping out the front door muttering something about going to town to get his damn cigars.

"Thanks, Rem."

"Not a problem."

"Whew!" Bobby came in the front door, "What the hell is Wolverine's problem?"

"We lost his cigars on de flight back."

"Oooh, so I guess he's not too happy with any of us then. What took you guys so long?"

"A gentleman never tells, Robert," Gambit smiled mischievously.

"We were just checkin' out the town is all, Sugah," Rogue laughed, "Where's everyone else?"

"Trish and Hank are upstairs in their room. Opal's in our room, or I guess it's _her_ room…anyways, Kurt and Betsy went hiking up the mountain, War is in the kitchen tying up some loose business ends and apparently, Logan is on his way down the mountain to find himself a tobacco fix."

"Hmm. Well, I t'ink we're gonna go unpack."

"I'm just going to hang around down here with Warren. Maybe watch TV or something. See you guys at dinner. Hank's going to start grilling around six o'clock."

"Okay," Rogue answered as the couple walked upstairs. Once in Remy's room, Rogue collapsed on the bed, "Well, Ah guess Ah'm gonna have to go home tonight after all. Once Logan gets to town, he'll figure out what went down."

"Well, if he t'inks you need to go home, Chere, den it's prob'ly for da best."

"Ah was just lookin' forward to this vacation so much!"

"I know Chere," Remy smiled, "Why don't you go take a shower? It'll make you feel better."

"In a bit. Ah just wanna lay here a while."


	3. You Look Like Hell

Any recognizable characters do not belong to me. Marvel owns 'em.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 3

"What the _hell_ happened down there, Gambit?"

"It wasn' her fault, Wolverine..."

Rogue heard her teammates arguing. Opening her eyes, she realized she was still in Gambit's bed covered from head to toe in a soft quilt. Remy and Wolverine were standing behind her arguing.

"The way I heard it, the two o' you stormed into that diner and started beatin' up on the good patrons of that fine establishment. I know that ain't how it went down. I also know that Rogue don't go lookin' fer trouble. Those men who were hurt...it was her power that was used on 'em. I've seen her use it enough times, I know what the after-effects are. Now I wanna know what happened."

"It wasn't Remy's fault," Rogue sat up in bed.

"Then who's was it?"

"Mine."

"I know better than that darlin'. Like I said, _you_ don't go lookin' fer trouble."

"So now you sayin' dat I put Rogue in dat situation on _purpose_?"

"No. But you attract trouble like nobody's business. It doesn't matter either way. You two pack up. The three of us are goin' home."

"Wolverine, it was an accident---"

"I'm goin to call the Professor. He needs to know about this so he can do some damage control."

"Logaaaan..."

"I'm doin' this fer your own good darlin'. You need to be checked out. The Professor needs to make sure you're okay. No offense, Rogue, but you look like hell."

"Thanks," she brushed her hair back from her face. Sure she did feel a little funny, but it would pass. She figured her body was just trying to regain it's equilibrium after absorbing two people at once. A little downtime in these mountains was all she needed to get her back to normal. Now if she could just convince Logan of that...

She opened her mouth to begin her begging anew, but was cut off.

"No, Rogue. End of discussion. The three of us are leaving first thing in the morning. I'm gonna go call Charley now and let him know what's happened. If it makes you feel better, I won't tell anyone else until we get ready to leave in the morning. That way, you can at least enjoy the cookout."

"Thanks," she responded dryly.

"Welcome," he said gruffly as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Damn midget," Rogue sniffed.

Gambit laughed, "Ah, come on, Chere. Ev'ryt'ing'll turn out okay."

"Ya know what really pisses me off?"

"What?" he asked, still smiling.

"The fact that he's right."

"That so?"

"Yea," she sighed loudly, "Part o' me wants to go home and let the Prof and Jean evaluate me. Ah still ain't feelin' too hot and Ah'd like to know what's goin on in mah head."

Gambit looked at her for a moment, "Lay down."

"Hmm?"

"On your stomach."

Why?"

"'Cause I said so. Jus' do it an' stop bein' so difficult."

She finally complied and Remy reached to the foot of the bed to pull the sheet over her.

"Remy---?"

"Shhh."

After securing the sheet over her shoulders and arms, he asked, "Comfortable?"

"Ah guess."

"Bon," he relied as his skillful hands began working the tension out of her upper back and shoulders.

"Mmmm."

"You like dat, Rogue?"

"Oui," she replied, her faces buried into a pillow.

He smiled and worked his way down her back, massaging her through the sheet. After a few moments had passed, Remy spoke.

"Chere?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry 'bout what happened in town. I shouldn' have pushed you like dat. Dis is all my fault and I'm gonna make dat known to de Prof and everyone else."

Slowly, Rogue sat up to face him, "You don't have to do that, Remy. Ah know how mah powers work. Ah also know the consequences of mah actions and Ah'm gonna take responsibility for 'em. What happened to those boys wasn't your fault."

Studying her face for a moment, Remy asked, "You sure you're okay?"

"No," she smiled, "Ah feel terrible. But Ah'll live. Always do."

Remy nodded. He was glad Logan was making them go home. The sooner the Prof checked her out, the better. Remy knew he wouldn't sleep well tonight. He'd be up worrying about her. It nearly drove him crazy when he was looking for her in town. She can usually take care of herself, but he felt much better when he was there to protect her.

_"Yea, Remy, you did a good job of protecting her today." _He'd never forgive himself if she had lasting effects from this encounter.

"Remy? You okay?"

He smiled, "Course I am."

Rogue started at him intently.

His smiled faultered, "What?"

"Nothin'. Just thinkin' 'bout how damn cute you are."

"Not nearly as cute as you, Chere," he stared into her deep eyes.

"Remy---"

"Hush."

With two fingers, he stroked the tendrils of white that fell around her face. Rogue resisted the urge to push his hand away. She knew he was too close, but at that moment, when his breath was mingling with hers and the scent of his cologne invading her nostrils, Rogue couldn't bring herself to move away from him.

"I wanna kiss you, Rogue."

She didn't respond; didn't move a muscle.

Slowly, Remy lifted her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

Rogue let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

Remy smiled sadly, "But dis li'l kiss here is all we can do for now, oui?"

Rogue lowered her eyes, "Yea. Ah guess."

"Come on, Cherie," Remy took both her hands and helped her off the bed, "If we only got one night in dis little piece of paradise, why not make

de most of it?"

"And how are we gonna do that?"

"Simple. You an' me, we gonna get dressed up real nice. I brought a suit wit' me. You got anyt'ing to wear?"

"All Ah bought is regular clothes."

"Well, we ask de other girls den. I'm sure one o' dem has somet'in you can borrow."

"And just what is us gettin' dressed up gonna accomplish?"

"Dis is our vacation. It's s'pposed to be _fun. _Me an' you'll get all dressed up an' we'll have us a li'l picnic by candlelight, maybe a walk down by de lake? Just live it up, Rogue. We got one night to relax. Let's do it right."

xxxx

Rogue smiled weakly at herself in the mirror as she stood before it wrapped in a towel with her hair hanging loosely around her face. She felt a bit better, and she definitely looked better. In the back of her mind, she could still feel the presence of one of the men, but not as strongly as before. The other had completely disappeared as far as she could tell. All the unpleasant thoughts left her when she heard a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she forced herself to sound more cheerful than she felt.

" 's me."

Smiling, Rogue opened the door.

"Chere, " he whistled appreciatively at her appearance, "you know better dan to temp me like dis."

Rogue blushed, "Ah was just gettin' outta the shower."

"So I see," he looked her up and down again, "Anyway, I jus' stopped by to give you dese before supper."

From behind his back, Remy produced a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, Remy..." she breathed taking the flowers from him. It was a beautiful arrangement of star-gazers, small pink roses, pink and white carnations, white mums, and baby' breath. "They're gorgeous! How in the world did you get these?"

"Tsk, tsk, Rogue," he scolded, "You know a gentleman never tells. And if Remy LeBeau is not'ing else, he is a gentleman."

Rogue smiled up at him, "Thank you."

"Anyt'ing to see you smile, Rogue. Go on and finish gettin' ready. We don' wanna keep ev'rybody waitin' on us."

"Ah'll see you at 6:30," Grinning like a Cheshire cat, she closed the door. After a few moments of searching, she found a cup in one of the bathroom cabinets and filled it with water. She placed the flowers in it and put it on the bureau where she could look at them while she got ready.

After asking Betsy and Trish if they had brought anything ideal for tonight's events and coming up empty-handed, Rogue resorted to asking Opal. Amazingly, Bobby's girlfriend _ had_ brought a dancing dress with her to a cabin in the middle of nowhere...with shoes to match.

Shedding her towel, Rogue pulled on her underwear and walked over to her closet door where the dress was hanging. She stood before it and fingered the soft silver satin. Almost giddy with anticipation, Rogue slid the dress off the hanger and over her head. The dress was an almost iridescent silver with spaghetti straps and an empire waist. It came down to about the middle of Rogue's thigh. The dress was snug on her curves, but the skirt was loose and flowing, ideal for dancing. Giving herself a second glance in the mirror, Rogue went to the bathroom to do her hair.

xxxx

Remy slipped the bright red shirt on and began buttoning it. He was excited about tonight. He knew with a little luck, he and Rogue could have the time of their lives. But he also worried. Everything needed to be perfect. Rogue had been through such a shock today, he didn't want to upset her anymore. He smiled remembering the look of excitement slowly, and almost reluctantly, growing on her face as he told her about the plans for tonight.

"I'm gonna make sure dis is a night you never forget, Roguey." He slipped on the black jacket of his tux, picked up a single red rose from his dresser and left the room.

xxxx

Bending over, Rogue fastened the straps on the silver shoes. She turned around once in the mirror, making sure everything looked alright.

"Not half-bad River Rat," she smiled in satisfaction and began with her make-up. Luckily, Trish had the perfect silver eye make-up that she was more than happy to let Rogue borrow, along with a pair of large silver hoop earrings.

At exactly 6:30, there was a knock on her door. Checking her reflection one last time, Rogue answered the door.

Remy stood before her in the hallway looking like he stepped strait out of the pages of a fashion magazine. He wore a classic black tux with a red shirt that was only buttoned about halfway, giving Rogue a nice view of his chest. He wore no tie and his hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck in a ponytail. In his hand was a single red rose.

"Hi, Sugah," she smirked, "You clean up pretty good."

"I could say the same t'ing about you." In fact that was _all_ Remy could say. The vision before him took his breath away.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under his stare, Rogue asked, "That another to add to mah collection?"

"What? Oh, the rose. Oui, for you."

Rogue laughed as she added the rose to her bouquet, "Ah never thought Ah'd live to see it."

"See what?"

"Remy LeBeau, all flustered and speechless."

"Wit' somt'in as lovely as you standin' here wit' me, how can I _not_ be?"

"Knock it off, Cajun. You've seen me dressed up before."

"Oui, but it's been a while, Chere...You know you're de most beautiful t'ing I've ever seen?"

"Thank ya, Remy," she pulled on a pair of black satin gloves that came up above her elbows, "Ready to go?"

"I'd rather keep you up here all to myself."

"Well, that ain't gonna happen."

"Oh, why not?" he teased.

" 'Cause Ah'm starved." And with that, she pulled her date into the hallway.


	4. Bullets and Collars

I don't own Rogue, Remy, or the X-Men.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 4

Gambit and Rogue sat on a large blue blanket next to a large oak tree with the remains of their meal spread all around them.   
"Hank really did it dis time," Remy said looking at the left-over burgers, hot dogs and steaks, "Dat stuff was amazin'."   
Rogue popped a chip in her mouth and nodded in agreement. Taking a sip from her water bottle she looked over at the nearby lake and watched the fireflies flicker in the coming darkness. Gambit watched her profile in the fading light. She had worn her hair up for their date, but never one for any kind of restrictions, she had taken it down soon after they left the cabin. The loose, wavy tendrils blew slightly in the fresh gentle breeze. Gambit resisted the urge to run his fingers through them and smooth them away from her face.   
Rogue sighed deeply.   
"You okay, Chere?" Remy asked, "Don' sound like you in de best of moods..."   
"No, Ah'm fine. This was great, Remy. Ah had a good time."   
"Me too," he whispered, moving closer to her.   
He placed an arm around her shoulders as she rested her weight against him. They sat in silence for a few moments before Remy spoke.   
"Penny f'r your thoughts, belle." He felt her smile.   
"Ah was jus' thinkin' 'bout how lucky Ah am," she turned to look at him, "Lucky to have you Remy. You make me happier than Ah ever remember being."   
"Non. I'm de lucky one here, Chere. You make me feel like I have a second chance. Dat all de t'ings I've done...maybe day not so bad if I have you."   
Rogue blushed and looked away from his eyes, "Ah ain't that great of a prize Remy, unless you haven't noticed."   
"De only prize I need, Chere."   
"Ah love you, Remy." Rogue looked him square in the eyes, "More'n anything."   
Gambit felt a stinging behind his eyes, "I love you, too mon amour."   
Rogue ran her gloved fingers over his lips, yearning more than anything to kiss him. Gambit would like nothing better than for her to do just that, but for both their sakes, he broke the spell.   
"We forgot de wine."   
"What?"   
"De wine...we left it back at de cabin."   
"Oh."   
"I'll be right back."   
"Okay," Rogue pulled away in disappointment.  
Gambit noticed her mood change. Squatting down, he took one of her hands, "Don' you go runnin' off wit' any wild woodsmen while I'm gone. I'd hate to get blood dis suit..."   
Rogue smiled as he kissed her hand and began walking toward the cabin.

xxxx

Remy returned a few moments later with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Well, Chere...what should we toast?"

Rogue thought for a moment, "To downtime...may we one day have a little."

"Amen," Remy laughed and clanked their glasses together.

Again they sat in silence, knowing that tomorrow they would be back home and wouldn't get this luxury of simply enjoying one another's company. After a few minutes, Remy moved to sit behind her. He cradled her against his chest and stroked her hair softly. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. She smelled like honeysuckle. She nestled up against him and sighed contentedly. In moments like this, it was easy to for the two mutants to forget all their problems.

"Remy?"

"Hm?"

"Think maybe we could do this more often? Go off on little vacations...Just the two of us?"

Gambit opened his mouth to answer when something beyond her caught his eye.

"Get down!" He threw her to the ground and shielded her with his body as a gunshot rang out, "What de hell?!?!"

"Come on!" Taking him in her arms, Rogue launched them into the sky.

"Who would attack us here?"

Rogue opened her mouth to answer, but instead of words, a chilling scream emerged from her throat as a bullet tore through her side. Then, suddenly, the couple began free falling.

"Chere?!? What's wrong?"

"Ah--Ah'm hit. Oh mah god. It hurts...I cain't--cain't concentrate on flyin'...you gotta get clear Remy." Unwilling to let him take the fall with her, Rogue tossed him toward a tree as gently as she could with her remaining strength.

Landing safely on a branch, Remy could do nothing but watch as the woman he loved plunged into the ground.

"T'ank de Lord dat girl is invulnerable," he said as he began making his way down the tree, _"But how de hell did a bullet hurt her?"_

Slowly Rogue looked around her at the small crater she created when she hit the ground. _"Hope Remy landed better than Ah did."_

She placed her hands on the ground to push herself up and cried out as the wound in her side hindered her movement.

"Guess Ah won't be movin' anytime soon..." she wiped the tears from her eyes, "What the hell kinda weapon was that?"

"You okay, Chere?" Remy landed on the ground beside her, his voice thick with concern.

"Ah'm bleedin'...and Ah don't think Ah can walk...it hurts really bad," new tears ran down her cheeks and she brushed them away with her dirty hand, "Opal's gonna kill me. Her dress is ruined."

He knelt beside her and examined her wound, "Dis looks really bad, Rogue. We gotta get you to Beast now."

"I don't think so, mutant."

In a split second Gambit whirled towards the voice, charged cards in both of his hands.

"Alright now, none of that," Another voice, this time from behind him. He looked over his shoulder. Two more men with guns surrounded them.

"What is dis?" Gambit growled.

"We ain't got no beef with you pretty boy. We just want the girl."

"Well den, I guess you do have beef wit' me den. 'Cause ain't none o' you_ touchin' _de girl."

Several guns were cocked all around in answer to his declaration. Remy estimated that he and Rogue were surrounded by no less than seven men.

"Remy..."

"Quiet petite. What's your business wit' her?"

"Our business is none of yours. Now are you gonna move outta the way or are we gonna have to move you with one of these Adamantium bullets?"

Realization dawned on Rogue. Adamantium. The indestructible man-made steel. Logan's skeleton was laced with the stuff. But the chemical composition is a government classified secret. How did these punks get it? At least now she knew how the bullets were able to hurt her. Frantically she looked around at their attackers. She counted at least nine men out in the open, maybe more hidden in the woods. She turned her attention back to Remy and the man who appeared to be their leader.

"We have to bring her in. We are not authorized to take any other prisoners. If you don't move, we _ will_ shoot."

"No! Please---"

"Shut up, Rogue. Dey ain't gonna shoot me an' dey ain't takin' you no where."

Suddenly Remy fell to his knees as another shout rang out.

"Gambit!"

She heard his moans and heavy labored breathing. That was all the motivation she needed. Ignoring her own bullet wound, Rogue hurled herself toward the man who shot Gambit. She knocked him into a tree and heard a satisfying breaking noise as his body hit it. She cried out and fell to her knees when another bullet ripped through her left thigh.

She felt weak and defeated, but seeing Remy sprawled on the ground, a puddle of blood surrounding him enraged her to the point where she felt no pain. With an almost savage cry, Rogue threw herself into battle again.

One of the soldiers raised his gun, ready to fire on her again.

"No," his leader stopped him.

"Sir?" he watched as the mutant woman pounded his friends.

"Another shot might kill her. I have a better way."

Rogue tossed the men away from her left and right, not giving any of them a chance to raise a hand against her.

"Mutant!"

She turned to look at the leader and was prepared to charge him, but the sight before her shook her to the bone. Every ounce of fight she had left drizzled away as she saw the man hold Remy up by his hair and press a foot long knife against his exposed throat.

"Surrender. Now."

She didn't have a choice. She fell to her knees in agony and defeat. The leader smiled and nodded to the other man, "Give it to her."

The soldier nodded and stepped toward Rogue. He took something out of his bag and held it out to her. Her blood ran cold. With eyes as big as saucers she looked to the leader.

"Take it."

Slowly, she held her hand out and took the Genoshan salve collar from the young man's hand.

"Put it on."

She didn't move. The man dug the knife into Gambit's throat. A small trickle of blood ran down the knife. Adamantium bullets. Genoshan slave collars. A knife to Remy's throat. This was her worst nightmare come true.

"Now. Or I _will_ kill him."

"C-Chere...don'...don' do it..."

"Ah don't have a choice," she fastened the collar.

"Glad you see it that way," He released Gambit who fell face first into the ground with a groan. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote control. He pressed a button to activate the collar. Rogue felt instantly light-headed.

"She's harmless now. Let's go."

As two of the men took her by the arms, Rogue's eyes never left Gambit's.

"Chere..."

The two men lifted her to her feet. She cried out as she was forced to put weight on her wounded leg.

"Damnit," Remy muttered, unable to stand the thought of her hurt and at the mercy of these men, "She's hurt. You can' expect her to walk on dat leg."

The leader of the soldiers walked toward Gambit.

"Bastard," Remy spat.

The last thing he remembered was the man's boot coming towards his face.


	5. We'll Be In Touch

Recognizable characters ain't mine. They belong to Marvel...damnit.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 5

Rogue sat in the dark leaning against a tree with her captors sleeping all around her. When they had arrived at this camp site, over a dozen more men had been waiting on them. Rogue realized her chances of escape were lessened even more now that there were nearly twenty men watching her. Despite the agony and danger she was in all she could think about was Remy.

_ "God, please let the X-Men find him. Ah don't care what happens to me, just let Remy be alright..."_

The last time she had seen him was just after he had been rendered unconscious via a boot to his face. New tears ran down her face at the thought of him laying helpless in the darkness. Would it be too late for Remy when the others found him?

The tears tickled her face and she attempted to wipe them away with her bound hands. Not long after they had left Remy, the men had stopped to tie her hands and 'dress' her wounds. Basically wrapping her injuries just enough so that she didn't leave a trail of blood behind them. She ached all over and her left leg had gone completely numb long ago.

Rogue shivered in the cool night air of the mountain. They men were taking her up into the mountain, though she couldn't bring herself to ask them any questions. Her disgust wouldn't allow her to even look them in the eye. She remembered as a wave of nausea hit her the way they had dealt with the men she had injured during the fight. She had hurt several of them, but most were able to get up and walk. The first two she attacked had not been so lucky.

Rogue had closed her eyes helplessly as the two fallen men's throats were slit only _after_ they had been forced to beg for their lives. She sniffled loudly and instantly regretted it when it caught the attention of the man standing guard.

"So you _are _awake," He walked towards her an knelt down beside her. He had an odd accent. British, Australian, maybe. She didn't look up, but instead kept her tear-streaked face pointed towards the ground.

"Guess you're all in a huff over what we did to your boyfriend, eh?"

Her eyes shot up to meet his in a stare of pure hatred.

He only laughed, "I knew that would get your attention. But don't worry. I'm sure he didn't suffer too long. In fact, I'll bet right now his bones are gettin' picked clean by wolves or something---"

Rogue lunged at him with a snarl. Weak, injured, and tied as she was, it was no challenge for her antagonist to subdue her. He tossed his gun aside and pressed her against the tree with his body.

"Aggressive...I like that."

She spit in his face. For a moment, Rogue thought he might slit her throat as she had seen him do to one of this fallen team-mates. Slowly, he raised his hand and wiped his face. When he looked back at her, he was smiling.

"Y'know...I know all bout your 'special power' and let me tell you, it's got me awful curious...I mean, if you can't touch anybody, how did you kiss that boyfriend o' yours?" When the only response he received was a defiant look, he continued, "How 'bout this then: Why don't you tell me how the two o' you fuck? I'll bet you have some _interestin' _stories...."

Something flashed in her eyes, and though the solider could not place exactly what it was, it did not go unnoticed.

"Now what was that look for, sweetheart?"

"Get away from me."

"No," he smiled. With one hand he reached up to stroke her cheek, "You know, it's a shame you gotta die..."

"Don't touch me," Rogue began struggling again, but the man pressed her harder against the tree. After only a moment, her struggles ceased.

"I'm gonna do a hell of a lot more than just touch you," his mouth closed over hers as his hands began pulling at her clothes. Rogue opened her mouth to cry out only to have the man force his tongue through her lips. He realized his mistake the second she bite down. With an yelp, he yanked away from her.

"You bitch!" he cried incredulously. He grabbed a fist-full of her hair and threw her hard and face-first into the ground. Rogue found herself spitting out a mixture of dirt, the man's blood, and some of her own. By now several of the men had awakened to watch the display.

"You crazy mutie bitch!" He kicked her hard in her side and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Rogue cried out as the fresh pain ripped through her already throbbing body, "Lord, help me...please."

"I'm gonna send you to hell where you belong, gene-trash," he spat. She heard him pull out his gun and silently prayed, "No, not like this. Not beaten down like an animal...at least give me a fightin' chance...Remy...God, Ah love you..."

Gunfire interrupted her thoughts and Rogue instantly knew that she was dead. Then she heard a loud thump as her attacker's body landed beside her. She looked up to see the leader holstering his pistol. All the men were awake now, either having been roused by the gunshot or the yelling of their comrade.

"Let Steindler serve as an example," he addressed his men, "The prisoner is to be delivered with as little damage as possible. I trust no one else will have a problem abiding that." Everyone remained silent, "Cooper, you are on guard duty for the rest of the night." With that, the large man started toward his tent.

"Sir?" one of the solders called after him.

"Yes?" he replied without turning around.

"The body...what do we do with it?"

"Leave it where it is."

Rogue watched her captor, who had momentarily become her savior, enter his tent. She felt fresh tears run down her face as she looked at the body beside her. Only a few moments ago he had a gun aimed at her, ready to kill her. Now his lifeless eyes seemed to watch her intently. Choking out a sob Rogue closed her eyes in an attempt to block the image of his face from her mind. She cried until fatigue overtook her and she finally slipped into an exhausted sleep next to her would-be murderer.

xxxx

_** A few hours earlier...**_

A gunshot echoed, disrupting the laughter and goodwill on the back porch of the cabin.

"Hunters?" Kurt asked.

"Shouldn't be," Betsy answered from her place in Warren's lap, "This is private property."

Wolverine placed his beer next to the grill and went into the house. Another shot rang out as the remaining X-Men stood in silence on the back porch. Logan stalked through the cabin and out the front door. Standing on the front porch, he sniffed the air, already feeling that something wasn't right. His nose proved his instincts true.

"Ah, hell," he leapt from the front porch in the direction Rogue and Gambit head gone earlier in the evening. Kurt stepped through the screen door just in time to see him dash off.

"Something is wrong! Elizabeth, Warren---!" With that, Nightcrawler teleported after his teammate.

The other X-Men raced through the house and came out the front door.

"You lovely ladies stay here," Beast instructed Opal and Trish as he headed off in the direction his teammates had gone.

"And lock the doors," Bobby added as he 'iced up'. He and the others took off after Beast.

"Bobby!" Opal called after him. He turned to look at her, "...Be careful."

With a nod, he was gone.

Logan smelled the men, but their scent wasn't what had him running frantically through the woods. He smelled blood. Logan had been with his teammates when they'd been injured in battle. He knew what their blood smelled like, and it severely unnerved him to smell such a strong combination of Rogue and Gambit's blood on the air. Suddenly, Wolverine stopped as his eyes found Gambit lying on the ground. The once-brown leaves beneath him were now stained a deep crimson.

"Shit! Beast! Get yer ass up here, pronto!" he yelled, knowing his friends weren't far behind him.

Nightcrawler appeared beside him as Logan bent down to feel for a pulse.

"Is he alive?"

"Fer now," Wolverine grunted.

Nightcrawler let out a breath, "Logan, where is Rogue?"

"Gone."

"Where?"

"East. I got her scent. And theirs too."

"Whose?"

"The ones who did this ta Gumbo and God-knows-what to Rogue."

"She is hurt too, then," dread crept into Kurt's features, "Is it someone we know?"

"She's hurt bad. I smell a good bit o' her blood. Don't know who did this, Elf, but they were more than prepared for Rogue and Gambit and they mean business."

"What happened?" Betsy asked as she and Warren landed, "Oh My God, Gambit!"

"Is he---?"

"He's alive right now, Worthington," Logan cut him off as he saw Beast and Iceman approaching.

"Hurry it up, Hank! The Cajun's in a bad way."

"Holy shit!" Bobby said, reverted to his human form, "What the hell happened to him? Where's Rogue?"

"I'm goin to get 'er right now," Wolverine popped his adamantium claws.

"I'm coming with you," Bobby countered.

"Logan, Bobby, wait," Beast looked up from examining Gambit, "We must contact the Professor. We need a plan. The two of you can't just---"

"Take care of Gambit, Hank," Psylocke stepped over to join Logan and Bobby," We'll bring Rogue back home."

"Wait a minute, Betts---"

"Warren. Don't. She is a friend and she is in danger."

Knowing an argument would solve nothing, Warren whispered, " Be careful. If whoever did this took out Rogue and Gambit so quickly and easily then they are no one to be trifled with."

"We'll be careful. Contact Charles. Tell him what has happened. We'll be in touch." She kissed Warren softly and then she, Iceman, and Wolverine went off to find their friend.


	6. Rendezvous

I don't own the X-Men...but then, you already knew that.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 6

"We came as soon as we could," the beautiful Jean Grey-Summers stepped through the front door of the cabin. Her radiant red hair hung freely around her face and shoulders and her green eyes were etched with concern and fear, "How is he Warren?"

"He's still alive," Warren answered bleakly, "That's something."

Cyclops, Storm, and the Professor entered the cabin behind Jean.

"Oh, Remy," Storm breathed quietly upon seeing her dear friend laid out on the couch wounded so gravely.

Kurt and Beast had gotten most of his blood soaked clothes off of him and Beast had finally slowed the bleeding some. Kneeling beside the couch, Storm brushed back the hair from his dirty, bruised face, "Goddess, Henry! He's burning up!" she turned her wet, blue eyes to the doctor.

"I know," he answered grimly, "Did you bring all that I requested, Charles?"

"Of course," the Professor nodded.

"I should probably treat him in the jet that you came in. It is undoubtedly more sterile than the cabin or the Blackbird. Jean?"

"Yes, Hank?"

"I need you to move Gambit. I am wary of move him myself anymore than necessary. Your telekinesis would be much gentler on him."

With a nod, Jean concentrated all her strength on lifting Gambit as gently as possible. Slowly, the wounded X-Man floated from his place on the couch and towards the door. Cyclops watched Jean's face the entire time. He wasn't sure if she was aware of it but he honestly didn't care. Her powers had a nasty habit of taking a bad toll on her and he wanted to be aware of her strength and stress levels. He watched, ready to be at her side should she need him.

Jean wasn't aware of her husband's eyes on her. All her attention was focused on moving Gambit's body safely to the jet. The Professor, however, did notice and spoke to him telepathically.

Scott.

Yes sir?

I am monitoring Jean. Trust me when I say she is fine. You need to have more faith in Jean and her abilities.

"But Professor---" he said out loud. Everyone turned to look at him, except his wife.

Quiet, Scott. You'll break her concentration

Sorry.

You and Warren take Kurt into the kitchen and try to reassure him of Rogue's safety. He's broadcasting his sorrow and fear very strongly, he could use his friends right now. Ororo, Jean and I will help Hank with the surgery.

With a final look at his wife, Scott motioned for Warren and Kurt to follow him.

xxxx

"There's Rogue," Logan spoke quietly to his teammates. He pointed out the small form lying helpless on the ground. They had only moments before caught up with Rogue and her captors.

"She alive?" Bobby whispered.

"Yea. But she's hurt. I can smell her fear all the way over here."

"I can imagine," Psylocke replied, "What's the plan old man?"

"I start rippin' 'em apart and you and Frosty get Rogue outta here."

"Not a chance, Logan. These men tore Rogue and Gambit apart. They'd kill you."

"I doubt that, Betts. I'm the best---"

" 'At what you do and what you do ain't pretty,' " Psylocke finished for him with a disgusted look, "Newsflash darling, so are Rogue and Gambit. And those guys took them out like they were nothing. You saw Gambit. You smell Rogue's blood. You know I'm right Logan. We can't just march in there without knowing what we're up against---"

"Shhhh." Logan held up a hand to silence her, "I hear somethin'." With his keen hearing, Logan picked up on the conversation being had in the nearby tent.

"What is it?" Bobby asked.

"Connect our minds, Betts," Using her telepathic powers, Elizabeth connected Bobby's mind and her own to Logan's so that they could hear what he was hearing.

"We're at the rendezvous point...Yes, we have her.. Not too much trouble...Had to take out her boyfriend, though. He was trying to play hero...Yea, he's dead by now...Alright...We'll be waitin'...alright. Bye."

Inside the tent, the leader of the men turned off his communicator. Placing it on his belt, he walked outside and stood over the prone form of his prisoner.

The X-Men watched and listened intently from their hiding place as the man nudged Rogue with the toe of his boot.

"Wake up, mutie. Your ride will be here any minute. Cooper, help our guest to her feet. Pick-up's on the way. The rest of you, pack-up. Mission's over. Time ta get paid."

A few cheers could be heard as the two men walked toward Rogue. She cried out as the roughly pulled her to her feet and forced her to put weight on her injured leg. That was Logan's breaking point.

xxxx

"What is the plan, Scott?"

"Hell if I know," Scott said in frustration. It came out a bit harsher than he meant, "Sorry Kurt. Didn't mean to snap. I know you're worried about your sister."

"It's alright," Kurt said quietly.

Warren put a comforting hand on Kurt's shoulder, "Does the Prof have any idea about who did this?"

"No. He and I both looked through all the files on the way here and nothing really stood out."

"So we can do nothing then?" Kurt asked quietly, "We don't know who they are or where they have taken Rogue."

Neither Scott nor Warren had any words to comfort their friend. Kurt let out a breath.

"Scott, Warren...will you pray with me?"

They looked at him for a moment perplexed. Neither of them were terribly religious, especially Warren. Finally, Scott answered him.

"Sure, Kurt. I think that'd help us all feel a little better."

Kurt nodded and offered his blue hands to his friends. Scott took one and, slowly and Warren took the other. With a small squeeze and weak smile at his friends, Kurt closed his eyes and began praying, "Vater Unser, der Du bist im Himmel. Geheiligt werde Dein Name. Dein Reich Komme, Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel, auch auf Erden. Unser taglich Brot gib uns heute. Und vergeben unsere Schuld, als wir vergeben unseren Schuldigen. Und fuhre uns nicht in Versuchung. Sondern erlose uns von dem Ubel. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit. Amen."

xxxx

With a feral roar, Logan launched himself out of his hiding place. The two men holding Rogue didn't have time to do anything but look to him in fear and surprise before they fell to his claws.

"Bloody hell!" Psylocke cursed Logan's temper, "Ice up, Bobby!"

The ninja-trained Psylocke leapt towards Logan and Rogue, prepared to cover Logan as he escaped with their wounded friend. It took the soldiers a few seconds to realize what was happening. After their confusion passed, they reached for their weapons.

Wolverine caught Rogue just before she hit the ground, as the two men that held her fell.

"You alright, darlin'?"

"Wolvie? What---?"

"Came to save your ass, Rogue. You know these guys?"

She shook her head, "Logan, is Gambit okay?"

Before he could answer, Psylocke yelled for him to go as she and Bobby continued battling with the men to cover his escape.

Logan rushed toward the woods, carrying Rogue. He almost made it.

The leader, hearing the commotion, came out of his tent, gun drawn. He saw the man running away with his captive. Aiming carefully so as to not hit the girl, he fired.

Logan felt the blazing pain begin in the middle of his back. Before it could register that he had been shot, he and Rogue tumbled to the ground.

Rogue cried out as her already constant pain was intensified.

"Wolvie?" she whimpered, "You okay, Sugar?"

When he didn't respond, she slowly crawled over to his face-down body, "Logan? Please be okay..." She nudged him with her bound hands, but to no avail. He was unconscious. Rogue noticed, with a gasp, the bullet wound in his back, "Thank the Lord he's got a healin' factor...But our escape is gonna be a lot harder until he heals up...Ice! Psylocke! Logan's hurt."

"No offense, Mississippi, but we're kinda busy!" Bobby called, as he used his powers to freeze several of his opponents hands so that they couldn't use their guns.

Rogue watched in horror as the leader turned his gun on Bobby, shooting him in the side. Crying out, Bobby fell to his knees, clutching his side and reverting to his human form. Blood oozed through his fingers, flowing freely from the wound.

Betsy whirled toward the sound of Bobby's cry just in time to catch a bullet in the stomach from the same gun.

Rogue screamed.

Betsy looked over to her as she fell to her knees.

"No...no..." Rogue whispered, shaking her head as Psylocke's eyes locked on hers.

Bobby looked over to Betsy and watched silently as she fell to the ground. A solider hit Bobby across the back of the head with his gun, sending him sprawling to the ground next to his fallen teammate.

"God, no....this ain't happenin'...we're tha X-Men...." Rogue stared at her three fallen teammates in utter shock. She didn't even notice the wind picking up or the sound of the approaching helicopter.

"Get the prisoner! Take only your weapons, we don't have time to finish packing. We're leaving before anymore of her friends show up."

"What about the injured, sir?" one of the men referred to three of his comrades who had fallen during the fight with Iceman and Psylocke.

"Leave them."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dum Dum Duuuuuuuuum (dramatic music)

:)

- Author's Note: Kurt is reciting the Lord's Prayer in German.

Thanks **_SO_** much to those of you who have reviewed...next chapter will probably be up by Saturday afternoon. Thanks again -Alyx


	7. Help Is Coming

I want to thank everyone who is reviewing. Ya'll have no idea how happy I am when I get a little "review alert" in my mail box.

Anyways, a few quick notes:

** ishandahalf, ** first off, you were my first reviewer. THANK YOU! :) As for your comments...I know, I hate the badness, too. But we have to have badness to really appreciate the goodness, right? :P I have bad news for you though, this is a pretty long fic, and there is much more badness to come before the 'happy ending'. But I promise it'll be worth it. And don't worry about Rogue. As soon as she gets the chance, you'll be feelin' more sorry for her enemies...

** Remy Shall Kill Belladonna**, first off, thanks for the tip about the anonymous reviews. Secondly, thanks for your reviews and thirdly..."Mater et pater improba et lectum/cibiculum." :)

**T, **I re-read that part about Logan...and I changed it. :P I didn't make it too clear exactly what happened, but it's all fixed now. Thanks for the heads-up and the reviews. Hope you enjoy what's comin'.

** Fuego, MCLBLUE, **** VA-river-gal, TheWalrusWasPaul, xxFleurdelySxx, WarmerThanFire** and** kitti3g0Me0w, **thank ya'll SO much for the reviews. I'm glad ya'll are enjoyin' the story and I hope that you continue to like what I've come up with for our fav couple.

I don't own Rogue, Gambit, Wolvie, Iceman, Xavier, Cyclops, Jean, Storm....

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 7

Professor...

Charles looked up from where he was helping Hank finish up with Gambit's surgery.

Elizabeth? he questioned psychically.

Charles, Bobby is hurt. And they got away with Rogue...

One moment, child.

He spoke out loud to Hank, "Beast, Psylocke is contacting me telepathically. She and the others need help. Would the absence of Ororo and I hinder your progress with Gambit?"

"Jean and I can manage.. All that is left to do is repair the minor damage done to his head. His nose is broken, and he has a fairly serious concussion, but the hard part is over."

With a nod the Professor turned to Storm, "Ororo...?"

She nodded after a moment and after giving her dear friend one last look, she followed the Professor.

Psylocke? I am going to focus on your location psychically. We will be there as soon as we can.

"Hurry, Charles.

xxxx

After breaking contact with the Professor, Psylocke turned her entire attention back to Bobby. She probed him mentally, as she had been doing since he had been shot. It was the only thing she could do to keep him conscious, especially after the hit he took in the back of the head. If he passed out, they might never get him to wake up again.

He moaned quietly as she brushed his light hair away from his wet, blue eyes. Tears, sweat and dirt streaked his young face.

"Hang on, Bobby. Help is coming." He nodded to let her know that he was conscious enough to comprehend her words.

Behind them, Logan raised himself up on his knees. His healing factor had pulled him through yet another mortal injury. He smelled fresh blood. Rogue's, some of his own, several of their enemies...and Bobby's.

"What the hell happened?" He walked over to his friends and kneeled on the other side of Bobby.

She spoke without looking at him, "After you went down, I decided to use my telepathy to deceive the men into thinking that they had defeated us. But before I could make my plan known to Bobby...he was hit..." she took a breath, "I manipulated the minds of our adversaries to make them think that I was hit as well. I saved myself, but not him..."

_ She feels guilty that she's the only one o' us who ain't been shot_, Logan thought, looking down at Bobby. Noting the pain in Bobby's features, Logan couldn't help but feel a little guilty himself.

"In their minds, they saw me fall," Betsy continued, "but as they were leaving, I read the mind of their leader...I know where they're taking Rogue.."

Logan looked up from Bobby's face, his eyes meeting his teammate's.

"...and I know what they want with her."

xxxx

Sitting aboard the helicopter, Rogue couldn't help but feel almost calm. Betsy had contacted her psychically; she had not been gunned down. It was all an illusion.

_That means tha X-Men are on their way,_ she thought almost smiling, _and Lord help ya'll when they get here..._

Before long, though, Rogue's mind again drifted back to Gambit. Wolverine had not had a chance to answer her when she asked about him.

_ Obviously they had found him or they wouldn't have come looking for me...Please be okay, Remy..._

"Alright," she heard the pilot over the intercom, "We're landing."

_That didn't take long_. She looked outside as the chopper prepared to land. They hadn't flown very far. In fact, in the distance, she could still see the mountains where, only hours before, she and Remy had shared a picnic supper.

The chopper landed and she was ushered painfully out of it and onto the ground.

_ Much as Ah hate havin' him in mah head, Ah sure could us some o' Wolvie's healin' right about now._

She couldn't recall ever being in such pain. She stayed conscious solely through an act of sheer will. But she was becoming weaker from the loss of blood. She needed a doctor badly, and none of these guys looked like they were going to help her with that. Not one of them had even said anything to give her any kind of hint as to who they were working for or what they wanted with her.

_ Well, we're here. Wherever 'here' is, so Ah guess Ah'm about to find out._

xxxx

"That ain't too far from here," Wolverine replied when Psylocke told him of Rogue's location.

She nodded, still monitoring Bobby.

"Jesus," Wolverine ran his hands through his hair, "This was supposed to be our vacation and look what's happened. Rogue's been kidnapped, Gambit's probably in surgery right now, fighting for his life, and now Iceman's layin' here bleedin' like a stuck pig!" He was becoming more and more frustrated and angry. He looked over at the bodies of their enemies, "And you said that they killed their own men?"

"Yes. Whoever couldn't walk on their own was a liability I guess. They slit their throats."

With a stream of curses, Wolverine unsheathed his claws. Psylocke watched as he stalked over to one of the bodies and drove his claws into the corpse repeatedly for a few moments.

"He's got Rogue's smell all over him," was the only explanation he offered.

"Wolverine, you're not helping anyone by carrying on that way."

Before he could respond, the Blackbird came into view.

"Bless you, Charles," Psylocke whispered, "They're here, Bobby. Now we can get you some help. Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

Warren was the first off the jet.

"Betsy! Thank god..." then he saw Bobby and his breath quickened, "Bobby?" he knelt beside his friend. He had grown up with Bobby. Well, almost. He was like a little brother. An annoying little brother, but family none the less. Bobby gave him a weak smile, but said nothing. It was taking all his energy and some of Psylocke's just to keep him conscious.

"We underestimated them," Betsy explained moments later as Warren and Kurt carefully placed Bobby in the Blackbird, "They have powerful weapons, though I don't think any of them were mutants. And they don't play fair." Wolverine grunted in agreement.

Storm and Kurt worked to slow Bobby's bleeding until Hank could rendezvous with them and administer the proper care.

"So what's the plan, Chuck?" Logan was becoming impatient.

"We are going to wait until Hank meets us here before we do anything Logan."

"What?!"

"Calm down, Wolverine. I am worried about Rouge as well, but we can't very well rush off after her with Bobby in the shape that he is in. He needs medical treatment."

"It could take hours for Hank and Jeannie to get here--"

"Or not," Jean interrupted as she and Hank entered the Blackbird.

"Beast," Storm asked, "Is Gambit---?"

"He is resting as comfortably as can be expected on the other jet, Ororo."

"Will he live?"

"I cannot say for certain. Though it is evident he is fighting fiercely to stay alive."

"That's because he wants to get up and go rip the heads off those bastards that have Rogue," Wolverine growled, "Which is what _we_ should be doin' right now."

"Logan. Please calm down. Jean, move Bobby to the other jet. Beast, I want you and Jean to take Bobby and Gambit back to the mansion and stay there with them."

"You don't think you will need our help, Professor?" Jean asked, preparing to move Bobby.

"We can use all the help we can get, Jean. But someone should stay there with them. I'll contact you if we need you."

With a nod and a blown kiss to Scott, Jean left with Bobby. Hank followed.

"Storm, take one of the individual aircrafts from the Blackbird. Go back to the cabin and pick up Trish and Opal. They shouldn't be left out here alone. Take them back to the mansion. Opal will want to be with Bobby. Stay there and do what you can to help."

Without further instruction, Storm left. A few moments later, they heard her launching into the air and flying towards the cabin.

"Alright," the Professor addressed the remaining X-Men, "Psylocke, Logan, please come with me."

xxxx

_ They drugged me...Wasn't enough ta shoot me twice, they had ta drug me...? What tha hell is goin' on?_

"She's waking up, sir."

"Good. Go get the boss-lady. The rest of you are dismissed for now."

Rogue heard several people leave the room. She looked over to her side and instantly regretted it. The pain in her head was intense, she cried out softly.

_What have they done ta me?_

"I wouldn't worry none about that headache girlie. It's the least of your worries right now."

Her eyes focused on the leader. He stood a few feet away from her.

"Where am Ah?"

"You really don't need to be concerning yourself with that," a new feminine voice answered. Rogue heard the door close, "What you should worry about...is me."

The woman stepped into view. She was almost pretty, except except for the constant sneer on her face. She was a few years older than Rogue and fairly tall. She had light hair and pale blue eyes.

"Do Ah know you?" Rogue asked her head slowly clearing. A new wave of alarm hit her, as she realized that she was strapped down to some sort of experimental table.

_ This looks like somthin' strait outta Sinister's lab..._

She didn't have the energy or strength to test her bonds. She could barely keep hers eyes open.

_ It's okay. Tha X-Men are on the way. All Ah gotta do is keep her talkin' 'til they get here..._

As if reading her mind, the woman replied, "Your friends will be too late, _Rogue_." She said her name with such hatred.

"Look lady, obviously there's some bad blood between us...But honestly, Ah don't know who you are or what your beef with me is..."

"You lying bitch, you killed my brother!" the woman shouted. In less time than it took for Rogue to blink, the woman drew the pistol that she wore on her hip and pressed it to her temple.

"Carly, no," the man placed a hand on her wrist, " We want the gene-trash to suffer. Don't make it quick for her."

Rogue kept her eyes shut and focused on the feel of the cold metal against her face. Then as suddenly as it had been pressed to her, it was gone. She opened her eyes to see the woman holstering it.

"Thank you, Colonel Greene. I apologize for my lack of control. You are right, of course. She must be made to suffer."

xxxx

"So you're tellin' me that this all goes back to somethin' Rogue did when she was a kid?"

"If I read his mind correctly, Logan, then yes."

"Son of a bitch," Logan stalked to the back of the Blackbird in a huff leaving Betsy and Charles alone.

"Well Professor?"

After a moment of deliberation, the Professor spoke, " Let us go tell the others what we know."

After gathering all the X-Men at the front of the Blackbird, Charles spoke to his team.

"The Montgomery family," He began, "Were the owners of a hardware store in northern Mississippi. Several years ago, Kenny Montgomery, the family's oldest child, was 'murdered' by a mutant girl. Kenny was closing the store one night, but never came home. Early that next morning, his father went looking for him. At the store, he found his son laying on the floor next to a young girl. When the girl saw him, she fled. When he described her to the police, he said she had a large white stripe through her hair."

"Rogue," Kurt spoke quietly, " But Professor, she would never intentionally kill someone---"

"I know Kurt. But she was young and her powers were wilder then than they are now. I have long suspected Rogue's involvement in the Montgomery case, but the specifics were always kept classified. The authorities were trying to avoid mass hysteria. It was one of the very first publicized mutant 'attacks'. When I asked her parents myself for details, they refused to disclose any information."

"So what does that have to do with her now?" Scott asked.

"Kenny had a sister, Carly. She is a mutant. One of the most powerful telepaths on the planet."

"She may even be stronger than the Professor," Betsy added quietly.

"Yes," Charles confirmed, "I got in touch with her parents when I sensed her powers developing across the astral plane. Her mother brought her to me a few weeks after her brother died. Her mutant powers were slowly driving her insane. She had an experience similar to that of Jean's. She actually shared the mind of her brother as he died. She was also able to talk to him. He told her how he had tried to help the young girl and how she had hurt him with her power."

"Carly blamed the mutant for her brother's death. She was very young, only fifteen, but she was so bitter..." the Professor continued, "I wasn't able to help her, with her powers or her bitterness."

"But Professor, there weren't any other telepath at the school when we were that young..." Warren stated, his arms wrapped around Betsy's waist.

"She came before any of you, Warren. She was my first attempt to help a young mutant with their power. My failure with her nearly caused me to give up my dream of the X-Men."

"Why haven't you ever told us of her before?" Scott asked.

"Honestly, Scott, because I am so ashamed of my failure with her. She left the school after only a few weeks, more bitter and determined to seek revenge on her brother's killer. But, I have always kept a close watch on her through a connection on the astral plane. In the last few months, however, she has disappeared. The only explanation I could come up with is that she has only grown more powerful and is able to conceal herself from me."

Before anyone could say anything further, Logan appeared from the back of the jet, "We're here."

"Alright," Cyclops nodded, "Land the plane, Kurt."

Scott.

Yes, Professor?

We must take great care. I fear for all of our safety where Carly is concerned.

Understood, sir.

xxxx

"Ah'm sorry." Rogue whispered weakly, knowing how empty and pathetic her words must sound to the woman she had hurt so deeply.

"Not half as sorry as you're gonna be."

"Look, sugar, ya have ta understand. Ah was barely twelve years old when that happened. Mah powers were outta control. When your brother touched me---"

"He didn't touch you, you attacked him! You killed him! He was only trying to help you!"

"He did help me. Gave me the first warm meal Ah'd had in weeks. But Ah swear to you, it was an accident---"

"Liar!"

"No, Ah'm not. Please, ya haveta understand---"

"No!" She hit Rogue hard across the face.

Tears stung Rogue's eyes. Didn't this woman understand? Guilt ate at her every day. Over her brother and Cody. Both of them deserved better. Neither deserved to have their lives sucked away from them.

"Sir!' A solider suddenly came through the door and addressed the Colonel, "They're here."

"Charles and his underlings are quicker than I expected," Carly smiled and turned to the solider, "You know what to do."

She turned back to Rogue, "After I finally found you, I spent months preparing for my revenge--"

"Was Remy part o' your revenge?" Rogue spat.

She ignored the questioned and continued, "It wasn't until I saw you at the diner that I decide _how_ I would go about getting it..."

Several soldiers entered the room and stood all around Rogue. She regarded them apprehensively.

"Touch her," Carly commanded the six men, "Make sure her skin is in contact with yours."

"No," panicked as the realization hit her, "No, please, no!"

Grinning, Carly reached down and turned the collar off.


	8. Crumble To the Ground

Well, I would have updated earlier this evening, but I just got back from the emergency room with my little sister. She decided to slice her hand open on a can of cat food...not too smart that one, eh? Anyways, here's the next chapter. Hope ya'll like it. And as always, thanks for the reviews!

Oh, yea, Keisha, you were right. I really didn't like how Storm came out in that last chapter either and the fact that someone else felt the same way confirmed that I needed to do something about it...so I fixed it. Thanks for the feedback. :)

I think y'all know this by now, but I don't own the X-Men

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 8

"We're here, darlin'" Wolverine whispered as he and his teammates exited the Blackbird.

Rogue, the Professor contacted her telepathically.

Professor! Ya'll gotta help me! Oh god! Please hurry!

Calm down, child. We are here.

"Elizabeth, help me to calm her."

"What the hell's goin' on, Chuck?" Wolverine growled.

"She's upset," The Professor left it at that, and returned to trying to calm the young woman.

Psychically, Psylocke began speaking to Rogue also.

It's okay, love. We're here.

N-no Betts. Ya don't understand. Oh god, NO!

xxxx

Six personas invaded the young mind of the injured X-Man.

She screamed.

xxxx

"Ahh!" Betsy's grabbed her head between her hands and fell to ground. Simultaneously, Charles clutched his own head and doubled over in his hover-chair.

"Betsy!" Warren rushed to her, "What's wrong?"

"It's Rogue!" she screamed.

That was the final straw for Logan. With an unnatural growl Wolverine raced toward the building, Cyclops and Nightcrawler right behind him.

"Charles? Betsy?"

"Go, Warren!" Psylocke yelled at him, "Help them!"

We will be fine, Warren.

Charles voice was in his head. It was so weak...and strained...

You must get Rogue away from Carly...

Gently, Warren placed his lover on the ground and flew off behind the others.

xxxx

Rogue couldn't think, couldn't breath. She could only act. Act to survive.

Her powers were no longer negated, and though mentally she was ripped apart, her super-strength was not affected in the least.

With an fierce growl, Rogue ripped herself free from her bonds, throwing the now unconscious soldiers in all directions.

She felt her grip on sanity slipping.

"Noooo!" She began ripping the room apart, bringing it down on Carly, the soldiers and herself.

"Stop her, Simon!" Carly shouted to the Colonel, "She'll kill us all!"

Colonel Greene took her by the shoulders, "No! We leave now. I don't expect to die today."

"But---"

"You've had your revenge, Carly! The mutant's gone insane! She's trying to kill herself and us too if we stay here. Now, let's go!"

With one final look back, Carly allowed herself to be led out the back of the building and to a small aircraft.

_ It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I want to watch her suffer. I need to see her die..._

Rogue fell from the air and collapsed on the floor. The thoughts, feelings, fears, memories of the soldiers now combined with her own.

_ I don't like this I didn't sign on to gun down some girl in the middle of the woods She's gettin' what she deserves Disgusting muties How much am I gettin' paid fer this?_

"Ahhhh!" she threw her face into the floor in an effort to claim back her mind. Then, suddenly, her horror was amplified as mutant powers of past absorptions others began to surface. People who she thought were gone long ago once again claimed her body for their own.

From her eyes came Cyclops uncontrollable optic blasts, Wolverine's claws burst from her knuckles dripping with her blood. Her skin turned to armor, then to blue fur. Storm's powers surfaced next as lighting began ricocheting off the walls all around her. Magneto's powers showed themselves as they began ripping the building apart at the seams, determined to bring it down on top of the young woman.

Crying out again, Rogue threw her hands to the floor. Before it could register what was happening, she kinetically charged the floorboards and blew them out from under her. The blast threw her strait through a nearby wall. Before she could pick herself up, she began teleporting all around the building uncontrollably.

Then came the memories.

Every fear, every joy, every shame, every tragedy ever experienced by anyone she had absorbed all bombarded her at once. She saw her family being ripped away from her to be murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. She kissed her parents goodbye as she and her brother jumped out of the spiraling, crashing plane. She watched her little sister die from an incurable, deadly disease and felt the guilt of not doing enough to save her. She cried as she was buried alive next to her dead mother. She felt her body being cut open piece by agonizing piece as her skeleton was reconstructed with metal. She ran from the Morlock Tunnels carrying the small child in her arms. She screamed through tears how sorry she was.

All this and more she experienced, in the span of a few seconds.

xxxx

Outside, Betsy fought to regain control of her mind.

_ God, what did they do to her?! I can't get control of my own mind because of the chaos hers is in..._

The Professor wasn't fairing much better. He reached out to Rogue and tried desperately to grasp onto her sanity, to help her hold onto it. Then, he felt it slip away.

xxxx

Logan, Scott, Kurt and Warren raced toward the building and watched as it began falling apart

"Shit," Warren spat, "It looks like it's being torn apart from the inside!"

"Alright people, be alert. We get Rogue and we get out!" Cyclops yelled.

His order was in vain. The four X-Men stopped dead in their tracks as they watched the building crumble to the ground.

xxxx

"Rogue!" Wolverine led the way to the huge pile of rubble that the building had become. Dust and insulation clouds were thick in the air, stinging the X-Men's eyes and lungs and impairing Logan's sense of smell.

_Have ta find her the ole fashioned way then,_ he thought wryly.

As soon as he reached the pile, Logan began ripping away wood, bricks, and metal. Nightcrawler and Angel did the same as Cyclops carefully used his optic blasts to disintegrate the larger pieces.

"I found something!" Warren yelled after a few minutes of frantic searching. The others quickly joined him.

"Under here," he indicated what was once a brick wall, "I can't lift it alone."

Through several groans and curses, the four X-Men lifted the large chunk of debris revealing a battered and bloodied body.

xxxx

Psylocke picked herself up and slowly walked over to Charles who was slumped over in his chair, trying to recover.

"Charles, are you alright?"

"I'm...fine, child. Just collecting my thoughts. And you?"

"Well enough," she looked over to where the building now lay in ruins, "Can you sense her Charles?" she asked quietly.

"No. And the agony she was in, the shock to her mind...and then the building collapsed..."

"I pray that I am wrong, Professor, but...That was Rogue's mind, wasn't it? I can't be completely certain because is was so scrambled and unrecognizable there at the end, but..." she trailed off.

"Yes, Elizabeth. Whatever is left of Rogue's body is of no consequence. Rogue's mind has been destroyed."

xxxx

Wolverine hauled the bleeding man up by what was left of his uniform.

"Where is she?" he shook the barely conscious solider violently.

"He asked you a question," Scott stepped forward, "Where is Rogue?"

Finally, the man spoke, though it was barely more than a whisper, "The mutie bitch? Dead and buried, which is right where she outta be...Where you all outta be you fuckin'---"

Logan ripped the man apart with one swipe of his claws.

"Logan!" Scott yelled reproachfully.

"Back _off_, Cyke. We gotta find Rogue _now_! Whatever they did to her was enough to send Betts and Chuck into some sort of psychic attack! If she's still alive, we gotta find her pronto!" Without another word, the four continued their search.

A few moments later, Xavier and Elizabeth joined them. Though Charles noted the carcass of the dead solider and recognized Wolverine's handiwork, he said nothing. He and Psylocke continued to psychically scan the rubble, even though both new it was useless. And while the others still held out hope for their teammate, the psychics silently prepared themselves for the sad news they would soon have to deliver.

xxxx

_ Chere..._

Remy LeBeau was suddenly aware of everything around him. Including the morphine in his system and the intense pain that he still felt despite the drugs. Someone was crying nearby.

_ Rogue?_

He opened his eyes and immediately closed them.

_ Damn dat light's bright._

His headache intensified.

_ Merde. What happened?_

Then he remembered.

"Rogue!" he sat strait up.

"Gambit!" Storm rushed to his side, "You must remain calm my friend. You are injured---"

"Stormy, where's Rogue?"

She didn't answer right away.

"Stormy..." he felt light-headed and weak. The darkness was claiming him again.

_ No!_

He fought it. He had to know if Rogue was okay...

"Gambit, please," Beast appeared at Storm's side, "You must remain calm." He placed his large blue hands on Gambit's shoulders, gently forcing him back down on the bed. "You are recovering from surgery and you have a very serious concussion---"

"Beast...where is...Rogue...?" Gambit's eyes slowly closed as Beast injected his arm with some sort of liquid.

"Only a very strong sedative, Ororo," Beast turned to his friend, "To help him relax. He needs to conserve his energy."

Storm nodded and sat back down next to his bed.

Beast walked across the infirmary to Bobby's bed. Iceman had yet to regain consciousness after his surgery.

Smiling weakly to Opal, Hank checked he machines that were hooked up to Bobby. Hank made a few notes on his clip board before speaking.

"He is my best friend." Hank stated quietly, but offered no more. The worried lines that creased his forehead spoke volumes for his love of Bobby. After a few moments, he spoke again.

"My dear, I must confess that I had...reservations about your relationship with Bobby."

Wiping her tears, Opal looked at his questioningly.

"But," he continued, "I am sorry I doubted your feelings for him. I see now how much you truly care for him. "

"I do, Hank...More than I realized I guess." She broke down again.

Hank placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Bobby will be fine. He's strong."

He turned away from her and left the room to go clean the O.R. Moments ago the Professor had contacted him to tell him that they had located Rogue and were preparing to land the Blackbird and infiltrate the enemy's base. He was to be prepared for anything.

xxxx

He barely recognized her. The only thing that assured Kurt Wagner that the broken body before him was, indeed, his sister was the distinct white stripe through her long auburn hair. Though it could hardly be called white at this moment. It was coated with blood and dust and tangled chaotically. He stood, transfixed for a moment staring at the once-white streak. Noticing how still Kurt had become, Warren walked over to his friend.

"Oh my God! Professor! Scott!"

Scott was the closest. After he took a second to fight back his nausea, he knelt down and carefully pulled the rest of Rogue's body from the wreckage.

Her body was completely broken. Bones protruded through her skin in several places at unnatural angles and blood leaked from the huge gaping wounds that covered most of her body. The blood mixed with the dust and thickly coated her once-pink skin. Kurt turned away and vomited violently. Warren placed a hand on his back comfortingly, but never looked away from the shattered body in Scott's arms.

"Come on, Rogue," Scott whispered as he carefully felt for a pulse, "Come on." He brushed aside the thick hair and felt frantically for any sign of life through the bloodied and bruised skin. Betsy came rushing up with Logan right on her heels. They both stopped short when they caught sight of her.

"She needs medical attention, Now!" Scott barked, "I think I feel a pulse, but with the blood loss and damage to her organs---"

"Move it, Angel," Wolverine brushed past him, "The girl needs healin' and I'm the one who's gonna give it to her." Without hesitation, Wolverine placed his palm to her dirty torn cheek. Nothing happened.

"Damnit, Rogue," he muttered, cupping her face with both his hands. Again, nothing.

"I can't feel anything," he said in disbelief, "I can't feel her power pullin' at me at all..."

"We must get her to Beast immediately," Charles interrupted. They hadn't even noticed his arrival. A simple order from their leader was all it took for the X-Men to snap out of the shock, at least long enough to get their wounded home.


	9. Only Human

Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize. I know I said I would be updating a lot last week during my Fall Break, but two of my Profs decided that I needed two huge tests to study for over the break. :P Damn teachers. (Just kiddin'...I love my Profs...most of the time). Also, my manager was outta town so I had an extra workload too. (Not that I'm really complaining about that...I got a niiiice paycheck yesterday. :P)

Anyways, I have finally got the chance to sit down and type up Chapter 9. So here it is. Enjoy.

I love feedback. (positive and negative.) Any comments are welcome. Thanks. -Alyx

And again, thanks to my reviewers. You guys are the bestest!

Again with the disclaimer...

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 9

Scott Summers stood in the shower, eyes closed, feet spread apart and his palms against the tiles. The water, that had long ago gone cold, ran down his muscled torso and hit the floor of the shower with an almost comforting regularity. Chill bumps had formed on this tanned skin and though he was uncomfortable standing under a rush of cold water, Scott was less tense than he had been in days. His discomfort allowed him a chance to realize that, yes, he was still human. Yes, humans make mistakes. And he needed to be reminded of that.

Sure, he enjoyed being Cyclops, leader of the X-Men. Hell, he relished it. But at times like this, when he felt like such a failure to his team, when he felt helpless, useless, Scott had trouble remembering that he was human, that he was allowed a mistake every now and then, that not everything is his fault.

He hadn't been there. There's nothing more he could have done to save Rogue, Bobby, or Gambit. His guilt was lessening some where Bobby was concerned now that Bobby had awakened and had been given a good prognosis. But guilt still coursed through him every time he looked at Rogue or Gambit. He didn't trust Gambit. That was no secret. But he admired him...to an extent. Not that he'd ever admit that to _anyone_.

As far as Rogue went, all he could think was 'what if'...

_ What if we had gotten to her just a moment sooner? What if I had gone with them to the cabin? What if Wolverine had smelled the soldiers sooner? What if---?_

"Scott?"

It was Jean. His love. His wife. He reached down to turn off the water.

"In here," he called out the bathroom into their adjoining bedroom. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his slim waist. He heard the heels of her black boots on the tile as she entered the bathroom.

"You okay?" she asked as she gave her husband an appreciative once-over.

"Yea," he slipped his visor over his eyes and opened them to look at his wife, "How is everyone?"

"Bobby's doing fine. He ate a few crackers a little while ago for breakfast and kept them down. He says he still feels sick to his stomach though. Hank gave him something for it. He's sleeping now. Gambit hasn't woken up today yet. Hank and Celia aren't comfortable with constantly sedating him, but given how he has reacted the first few times he woke up, I don't see any other option. He could seriously hurt himself."

Scott nodded as he brushed his teeth and listened to his wife's words. Gambit was a loose cannon, especially when it came to Rogue. He could hurt himself severely if he went off the deep end now. He was lucky to be alive, and pushing his luck wasn't a good idea.

"--and he flat lined twice during surgery," Jean was still talking. "It's a miracle he's alive. He wouldn't be if it weren't for our Shi'ar equipment." She was quiet for a moment. "It must be driving him insane."

"What?" Scott asked as he spread shaving cream across his jaw.

"Every time he wakes up he asks about Rogue. And we just keep putting him back to sleep without answering his questions..."

"We can only do so much. When Gambit has recovered, we'll tell him. Until then..."

Jean nodded. They were silent as Scott finished shaving. He rinsed his face and turned to look at his wife.

"Good morning, beautiful." he smiled at her.

"Good morning to you too, handsome," she smiled as he pulled her to his still damp body and gave her a small kiss on the lips. As she leaned into his strong embrace Jean couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful.

xxxx

_**Later that Week...**_

"Calm _down_, Cajun!" Wolverine yelled, struggling to keep Gambit still, "You ain't gonna be any help to Rogue if you kill yerself!"

Accepting that, Remy stopped struggling. Logan let go and stepped back, but stayed close enough to grab him again.

"Okay," he said finally, "I'm fine. Jus' tell me de rest. What did dey do to her?"

"We are not sure, Remy." Storm answered quietly.

He digested that.

_ Dieu, Chere...I'm so sorry...I tried to stop dem from taking you...I tried...I'm so sorry petite..._

"The Professor, Jean, and Elizabeth are in there now trying to figure that out," Storm continued.

"Can I see her?"

Wolverine grunted, but gave no answer. He had seen her. Seen her right after that building had collapsed on top of her. Seen her after all the surgeries. Gambit really _would_ go crazy if he saw the girl in her current state.

"After the Professor has finished with her," Ororo stated after a long quiet moment.

Remy nodded.

"Will you eat something, my friend?" Storm changed the subject, "You haven't eaten since Henry removed the feeding tube."

"I could eat...I goin' go wash off first. And shave," he absentmindedly fingered his small beard. He never let it grow this much. Then again, he hadn't shaved in over a week.

_Cain't believe I been asleep dat long...O' course all dem drugs dey were slippin me helped..._

It had pissed him off to no end when he found out that they had meaningfully kept him unconscious. Didn't they know how much Rogue needed him? How much he needed her?

He stood up and nearly hit the floor before Wolverine caught him.

"Easy, Remy," Logan held him up effortlessly.

_He's lost some weight_, Logan realized, helping Remy stand.

"You do remember you were shot through the gut, right?" Wolverine asked sarcastically as he helped Gambit stand.

"Oui," Gambit grunted, "Hard to forget when it hurts dis bad, eh?"

Storm watched her friend solemnly, "What would you like to eat Remy? I'll be happy to prepare it for you."

He almost laughed.

"Actually, Stormy...I could really go for some Mickey D's right now."

Logan laughed, "Guess yer tastes ain't as expensive as I thought. McDonald's, huh?"

"Oui," he smiled, "Some o' dem processed- non-chicken 'chicken' nuggets."

"You never cease to surprise me, Remy." Storm smiled, "Anything else?"

"Oui...maybe one o' dem McFlurry t'ings. Wit' Oreos."

"Here," Logan reached into the pocket of his dark jeans and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, "I'm buyin'. And ask the Popsicle if he wants anything."

Chuckling, Ororo left to get lunch for her friends.

"An' don' forget de fries!"

xxxx

Charles sighed as he looked at Jean and Betsy. They looked as exhausted as he felt. The three telepaths had just spent the last two hours scanning Rogue's mind. Or rather, trying to locate her mind in the mess that now occupied the psychic space, and it had been exhausting.

All three of the telepaths knew not to get their hopes up. They all sensed that Rogue's mind had been destroyed. Nothing, however prepared them for the carnage that greeted them.

Charles forced himself not to think of it. Instead he reached out mentally and offered comfort to his students. They replied gratefully to him psychically.

"Charles...?" Betsy spoke quietly, "When are we going to tell them?"

"Not 'we', Elizabeth. I don't expect you two to shoulder this burden. I'll tell them."

"What are you going to say, Charles?" Jean was having trouble keeping her emotions in check. Tears filled her dark green eyes.

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Beast entered carrying a tray of bandages and sterilizing medicines, "Time to change her bandages."

"Very well, Hank. We are finished here."

"Did you discover anything?"

After a moment of contemplation, Xavier spoke, "Jean, Elizabeth, assemble everyone in the War Room. I'll be there in a few moments."

The telepaths exited.

Hank was dressing Rogue's wounds when Charles finally spoke again.

xxxx

A few moments later, all the X-Men were assembled in the War Room. Cyclops looked around. He didn't remember ever seeing the War Room so full. He felt a slight swell of pride as he surveyed his team of X-Men, care-takers of Charles Xavier's dream. He looked over to his wife.

_ Marvel Girl._

That thought shocked him. He hadn't called her that in years. He figured the reason for it now was the look on her face. Not since the early days of the X-Men had he seen her look like this. So tired and so defeated. Since she had become Phoenix, Jean was a formidable power-house. Even when her powers got the better of her, she always bounced back quickly, more powerful than before. Back when she was Marvel Girl she was still learning her powers, still being used by them.

When she had come into the Game Room where he and Warren were playing a semi-distracting game of chess, he had practically bitten her head off, demanding to know what was going on. Why did she looked so fragile? She was finally able to calm him and assure him that in time, she would recover.

_ The trip through Rogue's consciousness was rough, Scott. That's all. I'll be fine._

_I'll be fine, my ass,_ Scott thought. He had almost believed her until he saw Psylocke. She, too, wore the beaten, worn look on her own features. He continued stewing in his chair next to his wife as he waited for the Professor.

He wasn't the only one. Logan and Remy were equally uneasy. Logan could sense something was wrong. He could nearly smell it in the air. Gambit sensed it as well, but felt even more apprehension. He hadn't even been allowed to see Rogue yet and it was driving him crazy. Logan and Storm had explained to him what had happened, but he knew they were leaving _something_ out. He knew she was...injured, though no one could offer him an explanation of _how_. How did this 'Carly' hurt the indestructible woman?

Before Gambit could torture himself further, Xavier entered.

The hushed talking became silent as the team looked to their leader.

"I apologize for the wait my X-Men. I was discussing Rogue's condition with Henry."

A few nodded, as Charles continued, "Jean, Psylocke and I have scanned Rogue's mind. Or at least, what is left of it."

Alarm and confusion shot through Remy.

"What de hell is goin' on?!" he asked the rest of the room, "What do you mean 'what's left o' it'?! What happened to her?!"

"Gambit," Storm placed a hand on his shoulder, "Please, let the Professor continue."

Gambit clinched his jaw, but said nothing more. Xavier cleared his throat and thought carefully about his next words.

"I am not saying it is irreversible, as Psylocke and I first suspected when we found her, but Rogue's mind is completely shattered. There is no way for us to know if or when she'll ever recover."

Several gasps erupted from the group. Gambit went completely white.

"I think it's only right that I tell you all this: Even if Rogue does wake up and make a full physical recovery, her mind, her personality may never be the same. She may never regain all, if any, of her memories and her relationships with all of you will be greatly affected," he looked over at Gambit when he said that. In fact everyone did.

His face was unreadable and it remained unnaturally white. He had not been prepared for this. A physical assault, sure. But this? To have her completely stolen from him like this?

The room was quiet. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts and confusion. Rogue is...was..._invulnerable_! How did this happen?

Finally after an eternity of silence, Gambit surprised everyone by speaking first. And with such a calm, quiet voice.

"Can I see her?"

"As soon as Beast finishes with her wounds, you may all go in and see her. I believe that hearing our voices constantly can help her regain consciousness sooner and perhaps heal her more efficiently. So make sure you talk to her. Let her know you are there."

"I agree," Hank stepped through the doorway, " Though I'm not sure if she can hear us, it cannot hurt. I finished with her wounds. She can receive visitors."

That was all the injured X-Man known as Gambit needed to hear.

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Okay guys, I have a French Exam Monday and a Biology Exam Friday...In other words, don't expect another update this week. I hate that I don't have more time to type up this story. I have it pretty much finished on paper, I just rarely have time to type it up...Anyways, if I need a break from studying ya'll can bet I'll be workin' on this. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I promise to update as soon as I can. -Alyx


	10. Shattered

Disclaimer...Disclaimer...Disclaimer...

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 10

Dread filled Remy as he entered her private room in the Med Lab. Walking was difficult for him. He hadn't been on his feet in days and the blood loss made him tire too easily - not to mention the throbbing bullet hole in his belly. He finally found himself next to her bedside and nearly passed out from the shock.

Her skin was ghastly white, at least that that he could see was. Most of her small body was covered in bandages, slings, and casts.

"Petite..." he whispered, his voice cracking.

Beast came up behind him and spoke quietly. On some level, Remy heard every word Beast said. Comprehended the doctor's horrible words in the same way he had done Xavier's moments before.

Both legs broken. Both arms.

Seven broken ribs.

Several fractures on her skull.

Internal bleeding.

Punctured lung.

Shattered collarbone.

Shattered. He remembered Xavier's words:

_ 'Rogue's mind is completely shattered.'_

Remy wasn't aware of any other word that could describe the way she looked. Or the way his heart felt. Shattered.

He felt the other X-Men behind him. A chocolate colored hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Remy," Storm began. He swung around quickly, surprising her.

"Don' touch me, 'Ro. All o' ya'll," he addressed the other X-Men, "Leave me de hell alone."

No one moved.

"I said LEAVE!"

"Gambit, calm down," Cyclops stepped forward. Without warning and with a sudden surge of strength, the injured Cajun launched himself towards Scott. In one swift movement, he had Scott hauled up on the wall, a kinetically charged Ace of Diamonds pressed against his throat, "Why didn't ya tell me how bad dey hurt her?! You kept me sleepin' for a week knowin' she was hurt like dis!"

"Enough, Gambit!" Jean used her telekinesis to pull Gambit off of her husband. Caught in Jena's telekinetic bubble only frustrated Gambit further. Jean felt him struggling against her hold. She began to weaken, but refused to let him, or the others, know it.

"Are you alright, Scott?" She asked, never taking her eyes off Gambit.

"I'm fine."

"Alright then, all of you get out."

"Jean?" Charles questioned.

"We'll be fine, won't we Gambit?" The thief said nothing.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him after the stunt he just pulled!" Scott looked at her like she'd just asked him to shoot himself in the foot.

"Come on, Slim," Logan placed a hand on his shoulder, "Jeannie knows what she's doin'." Scott turned and was about to tell Logan exactly where he could go when the Professor telepathically assured him that Jean was safe. With a last look at his wife, Scott stormed out of the room, followed by the other X-Men. Wolverine was the last to leave.

"He tries _anything_, Jean..."

"I'll be fine." He nodded and closed the door.

"I'm going to let you go now, Remy. Please, I know it's hard, but try to stay calm." The young man said nothing as Jean lowered him to the floor. He didn't look at her as he slowly stood up and made his way over to the bed. He felt tears sting his eyes as he looked down at the battered woman.

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and licked his lips, "Why did dey do dis ta her, Jean? She---" he closed his eyes. Jean watched as the tears made their way down his slender face, "She don' deserve dis..."

"I know."

"Why did ya'll make me sleep when ya knew it was dis bad?" There was betrayal and sorrow in his voice.

"You were seriously injured, Gambit. We knew this would be hard on you so---"

"Hard on me?" He turned away from Rogue, "You have no idea, Jean. You ain't gotta clue as to how it feels to see her like dis."

She started to say something, but he cut her off.

"Y'know, it pisses me off de way de rest of you write off mine an' Rogue's relationship like you do."

"What do you mean?"

"You all act like dis t'ing between me an' her ain't as deep as what you have wit' Scott. You treat it like it's no big deal. It's jus' a li'l crush. Ya never even consider the fact dat I would lay down my life for her without a second thought. She means more to me dan anyt'ing in dis world."

"I know, Remy."

"Non, you don't. You all like to see me as de womanizing boy I used to be 'stead of the man she's help me become. An' ya'll don't see her at all. Not really. You know, she cries herself to sleep every night. Not dat any o' you would know that. Not dat she'd_ let _any o' you know dat. And sometimes when we're together she gets dis look on her face---" He looked down at her bandaged face and then closed his eyes to the image.

"Remy---"

"Didja ever consider, Jean, dat what we feel for each other is as strong, if not stronger, dan what you an' Scott have _ because_ we can't touch? Has it ever occurred to you that I love her so deeply dat I don' care if I never touch her, jus' so long as I can always be wit' her?"

Jean didn't know how to respond, so she let him vent.

"Don' you t'ink dat I deserved to be here wit' her. Don' you t'ink dat she deserves to have me by her side when she's hurtin' dis bad?"

"Gambit, you were near death yourself. We were trying to protect you. Everyone knows how you feel about Rogue---"

He nearly laughed, " You t'ink anyone woulda kept you away from Scott if dis situation was reversed?"

She looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry. You're right."

She heard him exhale and looked up to see him in the chair next to Rogue's bed.

"It really as bad as it looks, Jean?"

"I'm afraid so," she walked to the other side of Rogue's bed. It was unreal seeing her strong friend reduced to such a helpless state. He digested that as he stared at the floor. They were silent for a few minutes and the only sound in the small room was the beeping of Rogue's heart monitor.

Remy looked up and Jean was taken aback by the deep sorrowful look in his red on black eyes. Without a word, he stood up and slowly made his way toward the door.

"Remy?"

"Jus' goin' up to Rogue's room for a minute. Need to get some t'ings. You stay wit' her 'til I get back?"

"Of course."

xxxx

It was nearly an hour later when Gambit returned. He made his way into the infirmary and strait to Rogue's room, ignoring Celia's inquiries as to how he was feeling.

"Sorry it took me so long, Jean," he set several things on the table across the room, "Took me a while to find some o' dis stuff."

He was lying. She didn't have to be a telepath to see that. His voice and the redness around his eyes gave him away. He had been crying.

"It's alright, Remy. What did you bring?"

"Jus' some t'ings I thought she might like...You can leave now if ya want. Go be wit' your husband..."

Jean smiled knowingly. He needed to be alone with her. She stood and walked over to her friend. She embraced him, and to her surprise he not only let her, he hugged her back.

"We're here, Remy. We love you. You're not going to be alone."

She felt his breath catch, "Merci, belle. Dat means a lot." He pulled away and didn't look at her. Jean took the hint.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He nodded as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Mais, Chere...Jus' me an' you." he looked over at her, half-expecting her to respond to him. When she didn't, he continued talking.

"Look at what I brought for ya Rogue. Dis room, it ain't exactly cozy." He walked over to the table and began picking through the pile of Rogue's things, "First of all, we gotta get dis smell outta here. I know how much you hate de way de Med-Lab stinks. All de medicines an' chemicals...Beast gonna kill me when he finds out I lit one o' dese t'ings down here." He placed a large purple candle next to Rogue's bed-side table, " 'Fine merlot scented'," he read the label, "I still say it ain't as good as de real t'ing." He struck a match and lit the wick. Almost immediately, the room was filled with the sweet scent.

"Dat's better," he said to himself. He again visited the table, limping clumsily on his crutch, and came away with a small pink and white blanket. He pulled away the white hospital blanket and was taken aback. Her broken body was fully revealed to him now and the site brought fresh tears to his sore eyes. He brushed them off in annoyance as he gently covered her with her own blanket. He folded the hospital blanket up and placed it at the foot of the bed tucking it gently around her feet.

"I brought you some o' your own pajama's too." He placed a pair of flannel Scooby Doo p.j.'s on the table with the candle, "Figure Celia can put 'em on you later..."

For the next few minutes, Remy worked to make Rogue's room more familiar to her. He brought several pictures and placed them around the room. A picture of the two of them at Scott and Jeans wedding; one of her, Storm and Kitty taken down by the lake; one of Bobby and Jubilee at Iceman's last birthday party.

Along with the pictures, Gambit placed little trinkets and favorite stuffed animals around the room as well.

"Dere we go, petite," he settled in the chair and tilted his head back, his eyes closed. After a few moments, he straitened and looked over at his love again.

"Good night, mon coeur," he whispered, "I love you."

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Okay gang, dat's chapter 10. Good night all.

Much Love,

-Alyx


	11. His Life or Hers

First off, to my readers, I am sooo sorry this took so long. Real life has been invading my free time. Damn the college education! I have fanfic to write!!!! :) Anyways, I prolly won't update again for about another week. I have 'em...4 projects that I absolutely HAVE to do before Thanksgiving...But I promise it will be worth the wait. I think you guys will like where I go with this story...Anywho, I'm really not happy with the results of this chapter. (I may end up rewriting it eventually, but for now it's staying.) I just wanted to get this up and give ya'll something since it has been a while since my last update. I apologize for any bad grammar or spelling. I've read and reread this chapter trying to make it better and nothing has worked. :(

So, without further ado...

I don't own 'em...Wish I did though.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 11

"He hasn't left the Med Lab in two weeks. I am worried about him, Professor."

"As am I, Ororo," Charles answered looking up from his computer screen, "But Gambit has had a terrible shock. He needs to grieve."

"She is not dead yet," Storm sounded almost angry, "There is no reason to grieve. I refuse to accept that Rogue will not make a full recovery."

Charles exhaled, "Ororo, I want Rogue to wake up as well, but Elizabeth, Jean and I all came to the same conclusion---"

"Then we get a second opinion. Surly Lilandra will help us. The technology of the Shi'ar---"

"I have contacted her already. She cannot spare the time."

"After all we have done for the Shi'ar, Lilandra cannot tear herself away from her 'royal duties' long enough to help a lowly human? Is that it Charles?"

"She has responsibilities to her people," Charles half-heartedly defended his beloved.

"Of course...Please excuse me Charles, I am going to go visit my friend." Without another word, Storm exited Xavier's office, closing the door loudly behind her.

xxxx

"How are you?"

"Hm?" Remy's head shot up from it's place on Rogue's bed.

Ororo smiled sadly, "I am sorry, Remy. I didn't realize you were sleeping."

"Naw, 'Ro. Jus' restin' my eyes is all."

Ororo smiled weakly as she took a seat on the other side of Rogue's bed. For a moment, she regarded the scene before her. One of Remy's hands cradled one of Rogue's injured ones while his other rested across her scratched forehead. He looked terrible. Two weeks had passed since he and Rogue had been attacked. In those two weeks, Remy had rarely left the Med Lab. The first week he himself had been in a hospital bed, the second was spent by Rogue's side. His long hair was unkempt and he hadn't shaved since that day he had woken. He rarely ate or slept. Dark circles tinted the skin beneath his strange eyes and he looked much too thin. Rogue looked as terrible as the day they had brought her home. Though some of the bruises were turning to a yellowish color now, dark purples and blues still marked her scratched skin in some places. Jean and Celia had bathed Rogue carefully during her first week in the Med Lab, washing her hair and removing the dirt and grim from her skin. Every other day, Celia gave her a sponge bath, but since most of Rogue was covered with bandages and casts anyway, it wasn't too much of a job.

"You look terrible."

"So do you," he retorted.

She smiled at him, "At least I have eaten a decent meal today and had a shower. Remy, will you please eat _something_?"

"Ain't hungry," he replied as he stared at the feeding tube attached to Rogue.

"Gambit."

He looked up at her.

"Rogue would not want you to do this to yourself."

"Do what, Stormy?" he sounded irritated.

"Look at yourself. You are not eating. You barely sleep. You are recovering from a grievous injury---"

"Don' start wit' me, Ororo."

Something in his voice stopped her.

"Alright," she said quietly. Then she looked down at Rogue. Leaning over, she whispered loudly enough for Gambit to hear, "You had better recover quickly, child. You are the only one who can do anything with him."

"Dat she is," Gambit almost smiled, "She don' take none o' my bullshit. Calls me on it ev'rytime."

Storm smiled as she took Rogue's other hand.

xxxx

"How you holdin' up, Elf?"

"Fairly well, considering.," Kurt looked up from his game of solitary billiards.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kurt smiled slightly, grateful for the company and arranged the pool table for a new game while Logan grabbed a stick.

They shot pool in silence for a few moments before Wolverine spoke, "What's botherin' you...besides the obvious?"

"Nothing."

Wolverine grunted, but said nothing. A few more moments of silence passed before Kurt spoke.

"I finally got in touch with Mystique."

"And what did Raven have to say?" Logan took another shot, sinking 3 balls.

"She doesn't care," Kurt said in quiet disbelief, "How can she feel nothing when the girl she raised as a daughter could be dying?"

"When you find out the answer to that one 'Crawler, maybe you can tell me how she's been able to live with herself all these years after tossing her real kid into a river."

"Point taken."

"Come on, let's get outta here."

"Where are we going?"

xxxx

"How do you feel, Bobby?" Psylocke asked as she entered his bedroom. Hank had allowed him to move to his own room a few days before, but he was still limited to complete bed rest. Bobby put down the comic book he was reading and smiled.

"Okay. But Hank took me off the really strong painkillers so I'm kinda uncomfortable, but I'll live."

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

"Betsy, knock it off, willya? I'm not dieing."

They grew quiet as thoughts of Rogue plagued both their minds.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I know."

"Why are you dressed like that?" Bobby asked, changing the subject.

"I'm going to work out in the Danger Room. Blow off some steam," she answered regarding her outfit. She wore a plain black leotard, black crush velvet pants and a pair of black combat boots.

"You look hot."

Betsy laughed, "Thanks. You look like hell."

"Yea, well...actually most guys who've just been shot don't look nearly as good as I do so---" he grinned and shrugged.

"I am sorry about that, Bobby."

"Not your fault, Betts. Hell, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't be here."

"We survived."

"Yea...so far."

"Robert? Would you like to come run the simulation for me?"

"Aw, man. You know Hank would kill me...Sure." he grinned, sounding more like himself than he had in weeks.

xxxx

"It hurts so bad to see her like dis...And Xavier says she may never wake up...Pah! Even if she does, she won't be Rogue..." Gambit threw back another shot. He, Logan and Kurt sat at a table in a corner of the smoky bar. It had taken Wolverine nearly an hour to convince Gambit to leave the Med Lab. Finally, after Storm had promised not to leave Rogue's side and sworn to call him immediately if there was any change in her condition did Remy consent to go out with Kurt and Logan. Besides, he really needed a drink.

Logan and Kurt remained silent, each lost in their own feelings about the recent events.

"I tried to protect her...I tol' her to go..." absentmindedly he fingered the cut on his throat. It hadn't been bad. Just deep enough to draw blood. He remembered the look on her face, part terror, part resignation, when the solider had offered her an ultimatum: His life or hers.

xxxxxxxxxx flashback xxxxxxxxxx

_ "Give it to her."_

_ The soldier nodded and stepped toward Rogue. He took something out of his bag and held it out to her. Remy couldn't see it from his position on the ground. He watched her eyes widen as she looked to the leader._

_ "Take it."_

_ Slowly, she held her hand out and took the Genoshan salve collar._

_ Dieu, no..._

_ "Put it on."_

_ She didn't move. Gambit felt the knife cut into his skin, then something warm and wet rolled down his neck._

_ "Now. Or I will kill him."_

_ "C-Chere...don'...don' do it..." he struggled to make himself heard. He was quickly loosing the ability to stay conscious._

_ "Ah don't have a choice," she fastened the collar._

_ "Glad you see it that way," He released Gambit, who fell face first into the ground with a groan. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote control. He pressed a button to activate the collar. Rogue felt instantly light-headed._

_ "She's harmless now. Let's go."_

_ As two of the men took her by the arms, Rogue's eyes never left Gambit's._

_ "Chere..."_

xxxxxxxxxx end flashback xxxxxxxxxx

Gambit closed his eyes to the memory of her being led away injured and helpless.

Logan watched the internal conflict play out through Gambits features. His deadly hands trembling in frustration and anger. Logan knew the feeling.

_ Well, nothing I can do to help him, 'cept maybe dull the pain._

He poured Gambit and himself another shot.

"To Rogue," Wolverine held up his glass.

"To Rogue," Kurt echoed, taking a sip of his water.

Remy nodded and downed his shot.

xxxx

"You got him _drunk,_ Logan?!"

"The kid needed it. I figured this was the only way to give him a good night's sleep."

"And you allowed this, Kurt?"

"He is a grown man, Ororo. Nothing I could do." With that, Kurt left for his own room without another word.

"He is taking this so hard," Storm said sadly.

"Ain't none of us dealin' with it particularly well, 'Ro."

"Well, where is he?"

"I put him in his room. Takes a lot o' booze to knock that kid out."

"Goddess grant me the patience," she turned to leave.

"Where you goin'?"

"I'm sleeping in the Med Lab tonight."

"Why?"

"I promised Remy I would stay with her."

"...Need some company?"

Storm smiled, "I would like that, Logan."

xxxx

"Rogue, I thought you'd never wake up..." Remy kissed her full on the lips, his hands in her thick, shiny hair, "Thought you done left me behind."

"Never happen, Sugah. Ah love you," She beamed up at him, her green eyes shining.

"Dieu, you're so beautiful," He wrapped his arms around her, "Chere, I'm so sorry dat I couldn' protect you. I wanted to...I tried..."

She pulled away from him, "Ah know, Remy. All that's happened ain't your fault. Ah don't blame you fer any of it."

He started to say something else but she silenced him with a soft, bare finger on his lips.

"Not another word, LeBeau," she lifted herself up and kissed him gently. He responded readily. Without warning, she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to his. He moaned as he pulled her tight up against his chest. She responded with a soft gasp and a sweet smile before his lips descended on hers again. He pushed her back onto the bed and covered her body with his.

"Mmmm," she breathed as he showered her neck with kisses. She arched her back, pressing her body against his.

"Chere," he was breathing hard, "We need to slow down...You jus' came out of a coma---"

Without warning she turned the tables on him. Before he knew it, she was on top, her silken hair forming a curtain around their faces, "Ah don't _wanna _slow down," she whispered as she lowered herself further and began nibbling on his ear while her hands roamed his chest and shoulders.

He shivered as chills ran up and down his spine.

She sat up with a grin, "That do a little somethin' for ya Cajun?"

Before he could answer, a loud noise, like gunfire interrupted him. He watched as her body jerked violently. She never made a sound.

"Rogue?" he moved to sit up as she fell towards him. Carefully he took her in his arms, "Rogue?!" he shook her.

Then he heard laughter. He turned to look behind him. The soldiers.

His concern for the woman in his arms overshadowed his lust for revenge and he turned away from them. When he looked back at her she was covered in blood.

"Non..." he whispered, shaking his head, "Chere, no. Not again. Rogue, I love you."

The laughter became louder as Remy LeBeau watched his lover die in his arms.

"No...no...no...no..." he cradled her body to his, coating himself with her blood, "no...no...no..."

Remy shot strait up in his bed, covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably. It took him a few moments to survey his surroundings. He was in his room at Xavier's. He was still fully clothed, except for his shoes and trench coat, and the sun was shining brightly through his curtains.

"Rogue," his fear of what could have happened to her while he was sleeping overtook him and he leapt out of his bed. Instantly, he regretted it.

"I hate you, Wolverine," he muttered as the migraine assaulted him, "Damn. Don' member ever havin' a headache dis bad..."

Slowly, and with some difficulty, Remy made his way to the elevator and finally down to the Med Lab. He entered Rogue's room and let out a breath when he saw her lying on the bed and heard the heart monitor beeping.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Jubilee said from her place beside Rogue's bed, "Or should I say 'good afternoon'? Do you know what time it is?"

"Non. An' I don' give a shit," Now that he knew Rogue was alive, Remy suddenly felt very drained.

"Gambit?" Storm questioned form her chair in the corner, "Are you feeling ill?"

"Jus' need to sit down is all..." Remy made his way to the empty chair on the other side of the bed and collapsed into it.

_ Soon as I recover from dis fuckin' hangover, Logan, I'm gonna beat de hell outta you._

"What do you think?"

It took Remy a minute to realize that Jubilee was talking to him. Painfully, he opened an eye and looked over to her.

"'Bout what?"

"I gave her a manicure. I'm pretty sure she's never had one before and since her powers are gone right now I thought she might like it if I gave her one. Storm picked out the color."

Remy moved so that he could see the tips of her long, slender fingers that extended beyond the casts that adorned both her arms. Jubilee had shaped, filed and painted Rogue's nails a beautiful shade of purple.

"Dat's real pretty petite. She gonna 'preciate dat when she wakes up. What d'ya call dat color?"

"It's called 'Mardi Gras Mauve'," Jubilee held up the bottle and squinted to read the small print. Remy gave a tiny smile to Storm who nodded slightly and stood up.

"I'm going to go take a nap. I'll be in my room if you need me Gambit."

"T'anks Stormy," he stood and fought the dizziness off long enough to embrace his friend. She smiled and left without another word.

Remy slumped back down into his chair and looked over at Jubilee.

"You can go if you want. I'm here now."

"Actually, I'd like to sit with the two of you for a while...if that's okay?"

Remy smiled at the young girl, "Dat's jus' fine petite."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well that's that. The end. Somebody Else's Song is COMPLETE.

HA! Had ya there for a sec, didn't I?

Okay, chapter 12 will be up by next weekend, at the latest. I know some of you are desperate for some R&R, (I know I am) since we're gettin' really screwed with the current plot of X-treme, so I promise VERY soon that you'll get some interaction between the two. And hey, I gave ya that short little dream scene with Remy...:P

Coming Soon: Rogue's fate. And where is Carly now???

Au Revoir Ya'll,

-Alyx

Oh yea, I have two more fics up on now. Both are Rogue/Gambit fics. "If You See Him" is complete, though I have plans for a sequel and prequel. "The More Things Change" is not done yet, but I've got some really good ideas for it. It's a movie-verse fic. Anyways, if ya have the time read over those and lemme know what you think. :)


	12. Good For Each Other

First off, I gotta let ya'll know that I'm not done with my school work yet...the muses won't shut up though so I have to silence them somehow. (Plus, I promised you guys an update this weekend anyway.) In fact, in French class the other day instead of 'participating' in the class discussion I was adding stuff to this chapter...:)

Hope ya'll like this one. For some reason, I'm really happy with the way it came together. Hope everyone else feels the same way. Again, if ya'll feel like I'm not doing the characters justice or if I don't make something clear, please let me know. I love the feedback I've been gettin'. You guys are the bestest reviewers ever! Hugs all around!

Plus also, there is quite a bit of Psylocke in this chappy. Hope none of you have a particular dislike for her. :) Personally, I love her and patiently wait for her to come back from the dead...:)

I don't own the X-Men...say it with me now...

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 12

"It's been over six months," Remy LeBeau sighed looking down at the frail body in the bed.

"I know," Betsy replied. Her voice relayed none of the emotions that coursed through her as she stood at the foot of Rogue's bed with Kurt and Bobby.

"She ain't ever comin' back to me, is she Betts?"

Betsy didn't say anything this time. She didn't trust herself to. She felt as if she were reliving the nightmare all over again. About a month after Rogue had slipped into the coma, most everyone had attempted to mourned Rogue's condition as if she had died. There was no funeral, but emotionally, the team tried to get over it because they knew she'd never wake up; with the exceptions of Kurt, Logan, Ororo, and Remy. Now it seemed like Remy was finally giving in to the reality of the situation. He was beginning to feel the biting pain of losing someone so close to him, it was as if a part of him had died as well.

He wasn't alone. The entire team seemed on edge this week. The six month anniversary of the attack where Rogue had been injured so grievously and Bobby and Remy hadn't been too much better off loomed over all of them and the fact that Rogue was still lingering somewhere between life and death was a devastating emotional blow to the still-grieving team.

"Dieu," Remy's voice cracked, "Dis ain't how it's supposed to be!" he placed a hand over his teary eyes as silent sobs racked his too-thin body.

Elizabeth felt tears in her own eyes and wished she had the strength to comfort Gambit. But she couldn't even bring herself to place a consoling hand on his shoulder for fear he _would_ turn to her for support as she had seen him to do Storm and even Jean a few times. And Betsy knew she wasn't strong enough for that. She was still feeling angry and hurt herself. She couldn't bear another's burdens no matter how much she wished that she could. He was closer to her than blood as far as she was concerned. She owed him her life and he owed her his, but when it came to something as simple as offering a shoulder to cry on, Psylocke hadn't the strength.

Instead, it was Kurt, who was crying silently himself, that moved to comfort the distraught man. Quietly, Kurt moved to stand behind Remy and offered comfort in his native German, though he knew Gambit would not understand him.

"Ich weiß, daß es, Remy verletzt. Ich verletze mit Ihnen meinem Bruder. Aber wir müssen auf den Herrn, unseren Gott, vertrauen uns Kraft zu geben."

Without warning, Remy turned in his chair and wrapped his arms around Kurt. The Elf-like X-Man closed his eyes and embraced his friend tightly.

Bobby sniffled quietly and Elizabeth turned to look at him. His eyes were wet and reflected intense pain, reminding her too much of the way he had looked gunned down in the middle of the wilderness all those months ago.

She gestured with her chin for him to follow her out the door and quietly they left not even sure if Remy or Kurt had noticed.

"They're good for each other," Betsy spoke once they were out in the elevator going back up to the main floor.

"Kind of surprising how close they've gotten in the last couple months."

"You think so? I was just thinking how predictable it is that they've come together like they have."

Bobby smiled just a little, "So how are you doing?"

"Very well."

"Don't lie to me, Betsy. I saw how you froze in there. Looked like you would blot if Gambit had tried to touch you."

"I'm fine, Robert." She walked briskly out of the elevator as it stopped on the first floor. He caught her arm and gently turned her to face him.

"I didn't mean to piss you off--"

"You didn't, Bobby...But this is just so hard. If she had just died...I know it sounds horrible, but if they had killed her that night I would know how to deal with it. With her lying in there like she is, barely alive..."

Bobby nodded and ran his hand up and down her arm comfortingly.

"She is a dear friend and I love her. She and I have been X-Men together for years. And I know she means so much to you. The two of you used to be inseparable when we were younger..."

Bobby looked down at the floor, "I know it's hard. And I've actually thought that myself. If she would just die, then we could mourn her, give her a proper funeral, tell her goodbye...but there's nothing we can do when she's like this...but it helps to talk about it Betsy. I promise, as painful as it is, it really helps...Warren told me that the two of you are having problems."

Her head shot up and she looked at him in surprise.

"He says you're shutting him out. I know you're hurtin' Betts. All of us are. But you can't _not_ deal with it. Please will you just talk to Warren? You've got enough to deal with without loosing him."

Elizabeth wiped away a tear and looked away from him.

"Promise me you'll talk to him, Betsy. It'll be good for both of you."

"Alright," she whispered after a few moments.

"Come here," Bobby wrapped his arms around her, "We'll all be okay. I promise."

"You know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"I was mind-linked with her when she lost it. For a split second I felt the agony she was in and I felt her terror. God, Bobby. I barely experienced it and it still keeps me awake at night."

"I didn't know that, Betsy..."

She squeezed him slightly before pulling away, "It's not something I want everyone knowing."

"Does the Professor know?"

She nodded, "He experienced it too, though he was monitoring the team also and wasn't as focused on her as I was. I don't think he truly realized the pain she was in."

"Or the pain you're in."

She shrugged, "I'll survive."

"Yea...I know you will...but you will talk to War, right? Let him help you?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

She smiled, "Really, Bobby, you are such a child."

He looked at her imploringly.

She laughed at his expression, "Alright. I promise."

"Good. Now, how about a relaxing dip in the pool?"

"Only if you promise not to freeze it over."

"I promise not to freeze it over if _you_ promise to wear that little red bikini..."

xxxx

Betsy sat strait up in her bed, her eyes wide with incomprehension. She had been sleeping peacefully beside her lover when the psychic prod had struck her. She looked down at Warren. When she had bolted upright so suddenly, his arm that had been draped across her bare chest, had been thrown off. He made a quiet protesting grunt but never woke up. Now, he lay sleeping peacefully with his golden hair in disarray. Instinctually, Psylocke brushed the messy hair away from his resting eyes with a smile. She had taken Bobby's advice and though they hadn't talked very much, she did open up a little to Warren this evening after dinner. And that had made all the difference. They made love that night for the first time in months. Betsy smiled and reminded herself to give Bobby a big kiss next time she saw him.

Again she felt the probe.

Rogue? she asked psychically. She couldn't explain it, but the probing felt...familiar. Her mind felt fuzzy and the static was so similar to Rogue's psychic signature...

"But that's not possible...Her mind was utterly destroyed..." she looked down at Warren, "I won't be gone long, love, but I need to check this out."

Silently, the she-ninja crept from the bed and wrapped her nude body in a mint green satin robe that barely covered her to mid-thigh.

Moments later she was standing at the foot of Rogue's bed. Curiosity, confusion and just a little hope were evident in her features.

Rogue? Can you hear me?

There was no response.

"Damnit," she muttered, not loudly, but loud enough to startle the Cajun X-Man who was sleeping next to the bed. Without warning, Gambit launched himself out of the chair and into a fighting stance, a kinetically charged card in his hand.

"A little late for all that. I could've already slit your bloody throat. You're loosing your edge, Remy."

Pulling the energy back into him, Remy relaxed and looked over at the digital clock on the nearby table, "What in de blue blazes you doin' down here at two o' clock in de mornin' Betts?"

She chewed on her bottom lip.

"I honestly don't know...I just thought I felt something..."

"Like what?" Instantly, Remy was wide awake, "Did you feel somet'in' from Rogue?"

"I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?!"

"It was quick. I barely felt it before it was gone again." As she spoke these words she felt the probe again and just as quickly, it was gone. She looked over at Rogue.

"You felt it again didn' you?" Remy asked eagerly, "Is she communicatin' wit' you?"

"I--I don't know," Elizabeth searched Rogue's thin, pale face, desperately looking for some physical sign that she wasn't just wishful thinking.

"What is it?!" Remy was getting frustrated.

"It is Rogue." Jean's voice sounded from behind them.

Gambit and Psylocke turned to see the Professor and Jean.

"She is trying to contact you, Betsy. But she's too weak."

"But---how?" Gambit was being uncharacteristically cautious. He didn't understand what was going on exactly, though it sounded like Rogue was coming back to him...

"Why don't you try and contact her Charles?"

"Jean and I have both tried. For some reason she isn't responding to us and you are getting the strongest reception of her."

"But my powers aren't as strong as either of yours."

"No, but she still will not or can not directly contact either of us."

"So Psylocke is our only link to Rogue?" Gambit spoke again, still trying to understand what this could mean.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Remy," Jean warned gently.

"What about Cerebro?" Betsy offered.

"No Elizabeth. That is too dangerous. We don't even know if it is really Rogue," the Professor reasoned.

"It is," Psylocke confirmed as she turned to look at Remy, "I know it is. Please Charles. You and Jean can monitor me. If anything happens you'll both be there to help."

"It could be a trick. Someone could be playing us." Jean stated.

"This isn't a game and it isn't a trick."

"How do you know, Betsy?"

"I just do. I can't explain it."

Finally Charles spoke again, "Alright, Elizabeth. If you are sure."

"I am."

Within moments, Elizabeth, with the help of Jean and Charles, was using the Med-Lab's Cerebro unit to contact her teammate. She searched the astral plane for hours. Finally, when it was nearing 6 a.m., the Professor contacted Betsy.

Elizabeth, you are exhausted.

I'm not giving up, Charles. I can feel her more strongly now. I'm getting closer.

You need rest.

Not until I find her.

xxxx

She was physically, emotionally, and psychologically exhausted. It was nearing the late afternoon hours and she still had not found Rogue.

Rogue...I could really use a little help from you right about now...

Betsy?! Is that you Sugar?

Oh my God, Rogue! It is you. Are you alright?

Ah dunno. Feel like Ah've been sleepin' fer a month.

More like six.

Six months?!? What's goin' on?! What happened to me?

"She's found her!" Jean gasped aloud.

"You sure?" Gambit held his breath.

"Positive," Jean answered before turning her full attention back to Elizabeth.

You don't remember any of it?

There was no answer.

Rogue? Psylocke sounded more panicked than she meant.

Ah'm here. Jus' thinkin'...The last thing Ah remember a bunch o' us went down to the Professor's cabin and...Oh mah God. Remy! Is he alright?!?

He's fine. He has barely left your side.

And the others? Bobby and Wolvie? They're okay too?

Yes. Logan healed right up and Bobby has a nasty scar, but everyone is fine.

Thank the Lord.

Betsy smiled. Rogue sounded so strong and so much like her old self. For the first time in months, Elizabeth allowed herself to think that maybe this would work out after all.

"What's happenin'?" Remy jumped out of his chair momentarily letting go of Rogue's hand, "What she cryin' for?"

A small tear escaped one of Psylocke's tightly closed eyes

"It's okay, Remy. She's smiling," Jean assured him.

"What's goin' on?"

"We don't know. Only Betsy does."

"You cain't hear nothin'?"

"Gambit, please. You'll distract Elizabeth." the Professor turned his full attention back to Psylocke, as did Jean. Gambit returned to his lover's side.

"You comin' back to me mon couer?" he whispered, kissing her cool hand gently.

So what happened to me?

You don't remember?

Nope. The last thing Ah remember is seein' you fall to the ground after gettin' shot in the gut.

Darling, I think it would be best to discuss this after we restore you to your body.

Okay. Lead the way.

Lead the way? You don't know how?

Ah ain't the psychic, Betts, you are. Ah ain't got a clue.

Wait. I need to speak with Charles. Professor?

Yes, child? Are you alright?

I'm fine. I found Rogue...but...she doesn't know how to join herself back with her body.

You'll have to guide her then...But Elizabeth, can you stand the strain? You're exhausted already.

I can do it, Charles. But I need your help.

xxxx

**_ Hours later..._**

Jean and I have done all we can do. The rest is up to you, Elizabeth.

Thank you, Professor. Rogue? Can you still hear me?

Yea...Ah'm so tired Betsy...cain't we rest a little?

I'm afraid not. Charles said this is the most delicate part and I've never done this before so we have to be quick and careful. Just think of Remy...That's disgusting! Betsy exclaimed when she caught sight of Rogue's mental image.

Hey, Ah _have_ been sleepin' fer six months. Had plenty o' time to dream up interestin' li'l scenarios just like that. Rogue joked, but Betsy could tell she was terrified.

Scared?

Yea. You?

Terrified. But we'll be alright, Rogue. I promise. She felt Rogue put down her fear and prepare herself to be reintroduced to her body. Alright then, darling. Here we go.

xxxx

He couldn't believe it. It was the most surreal thing he had ever experienced. Remy LeBeau watched in joyous fascination as the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen opened and looked directly at him.

End Chapter 12 :)

- I know it hurts, Remy. I hurt with you my brother. But we must trust in the Lord, our God, to give us strength.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, I apologize for any grammar/punctuation errors. I tried to get them all out, but I wanted to get this up for you guys in a hurry. Hope you liked it. Chapter 13 should be up by Wednesday. Friday at the latest (I hope). Anyways, I apologize for the delay, but duty calls...in fact I'm 'bout to go finish my Anthropology project now. Hope you guys liked this one. Thanks for reading! -Alyx


	13. You Won't Hurt Me

**First off: **An apology. I am deeply, DEEPLY sorry for neglecting this story. It wasn't fair to ya'll who are faithfully reading it and giving me such wonderful feedback (that I appreciate more than I can ever say). I didn't forget about ya'll, but some stuff has been goin' on in my personal life for the past couple of months that has sort of ruined my desire to do anything productive. It's getting better now though. :)

**Secondly:** THANK YOU to everyone reading and reviewing this story.

**Thirdly:** On with the Romy-ness :) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter...

Wish I owned 'em, but I don't.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 13

"Carly! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" the man screamed at the irate woman before him. He watched helplessly as she threw object after object against the walls of their hotel room, "Jesus!" He dodged the alarm clock.

"She's alive!" Carly continued to scream, tears streaming down her face. She collapsed to the floor. Sobs racked the young woman's body. Satisfied that her tirade was, for the most part, over, Simon Greene knelt beside his lover and attempted to comfort her.

"Shhhh honey...it's okay."

"No!" she argued, her wet face buried in his chest, "It's not okay. She's still alive."

Having been with her for over three years, Simon had become accustomed to her lapses into depression and her child-like fits. He knew she was a mutant. Knew it from the day they met. She had explained to him once how her powers worked. He could recall something about sharing her brother's mind when he died and something about a psychic Professor trying to exploit her powers, but that was it. All he knew for sure was that something to do with her powers caused her to go off the deep end every now and then. He gently rubbed her back with his hand, trying to calm her down.

"Who's alive Carly?"

"Rogue."

"Rogue? The mutant girl? No, honey, she's dead. We killed her, remember?" he replied, his voice cold.

"No! She's alive! I can feel her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" she pulled away from him, "You think I'd imagine something like this!? The girl is alive. She is with Xavier."

"Xavier..."

"Yes," Carly smiled bitterly, "My old _ 'mentor'_," she spat the words out.

"How did she survive? I thought that absorbing all those people at once would kill her. And then the building collapsed..."

"I don't know," she got up and began pacing the room, rubbing a hands to her temple until a slow smile spread across her face, "But you need to make some phone calls 'Colonel'."

He watched her expectantly. He hated when she got like this. He could barely recognize the woman he loved when she began acting like a crazed lunatic.

"I want your men together as soon as possible. We're going on a little trip to Westchester."

"Carly, I don't think---"

"Simon. Do not. Piss. Me. Off."

"Honey, most of my men were killed in our last attempt at takin' that girl out. The ones that are left aren't gonna be eager to go after her or her buddies again."

"Then find some new men...And double the pay. Triple it if you have to. We're not just going after Rogue this time. We 're going after _all_ of Charlie's X-Men."

xxxx

"Rogue?" Remy asked, his hopeful voice barely a whisper.

She blinked as the bright fluorescent lights invaded her sensitive eyes.

"Turn down de lights," Remy ordered. Jean moved to comply.

When the only light in the room came from the small lamp in the hallway, Rogue opened her eyes. Slowly, they focused and locked on his. He smiled when he saw recognition flash in the green orbs.

"Chere..." he moved closer.

She licked her lips and swallowed, the actions somehow foreign to her.

"Give her some space, Remy." Jean said gently, "Her mind seems to be fine, but she hasn't used her voice in months. Give her a few minutes." As Jean spoke these words, Rogue mustered all the strength she could and lifted her hand, longing to stroke Gambit's cheek. Noticing her hand was bare, she began lowering it. Immediately understanding her fear, Gambit grabbed her bare hand in both of his.

"'T's okay, Roguey. You won't hurt me."

"H--How?" her mouth formed words for the first time in months.

"We don't know child," the Professor smiled, his eyes shining, "But that's not important right now."

"He's right Chere. Don't matter how or why. All dat matters is dat you're back."

Her eyes burned as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Don' cry Rogue. Everyt'ings gonna be okay now." He pushed a few unruly curls away from her face before pulling her gently into his arms.

She clung to him as tightly as she could, trembling at the effort. Over his shoulder, she noticed Elizabeth watching them. She looked just as exhausted as Rogue felt. She smiled weakly and Rogue smiled back. Then she closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy being in Remy's arms. Finally, he pulled back to look at her. Tears streamed down his face.

"What's wrong Remy?" her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Not'in'...I jus' love you so much Chere..." he broke again. Rogue pulled him to her.

"It's alright, Sugar. I love you, too. Everything's okay now," she whispered.

The three telepaths began to feel like intruders to the couple's reunion.

Xavier cleared his throat, "Well, I think everyone else will want to hear this wonderful news. Jean? Elizabeth?"

Jean nodded, "It's wonderful to have you back with us, Rogue." She bent down and kissed Rogue's cheek before walking out the door. Faintly, Rogue marveled at the small gesture. No such affection had been shown to her in years - with the exception of Remy's flirting and the much too rare instances when her powers were negated. Xavier smiled and sent a mental embrace to her before following Jean out. Betsy made a move for the door but Rogue's voice stopped her.

"Betts? Couldja stay a minute?"

"Of course," Elizabeth stepped toward the bed.

Looking at her over Remy's shoulder, she smiled, "Thank ya, Betsy."

The purple-haired beauty smiled, "Anytime darling."

Remy let go of Rogue and turned to face Betsy. Without warning, he wrapped her in a tight bear hug.

"Merci, 'Liz'beth. Merci. Merci."

"You're....welcome, Remy." She awkwardly hugged him back.

Finally, he let go and went back to Rogue's bed. Carefully, he situated himself so that she was leaning up against him, his arms draped protectively around her.

xxxx

"There you are," Warren said as Elizabeth stepped quietly into their bedroom, closing the door behind her, "I was wondering where you had run off to...Starting to think that you might've regretted some things about last night...Some of the things you shared with me...I have to go into the city. Bureaucratic nonsense..." He muttered as he fastened his tasteful clip-on tie. He turned to regard his appearance in the mirror and caught sight of her face, "Baby, are you okay? You look like you didn't sleep at all last night. And why are you still in your bath robe? It's nearly dinner time---"

"Rogue woke up," she said it simply and quietly, still unsure of whether or not she believed it herself.

"What?"

She looked at him smiling, "Rogue's awake...I helped bring her back...She's okay Warren."

His smile grew with hers as he moved to put his arms around her, "I'm so proud of you. This is---"

"Unbelievable," she finished his sentence, "I know. But it's true." He squeezed her tighter.

"Let's go see her then. The meeting can wait---" she placed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"In a few minutes. Remy will want some time with her alone...Can we just stay like this for a while?"

"Sure, hon. Whatever you want," he whispered, resting his chin on her hair.

xxxx

After hearing of Rogue's miraculous recovery, all the X-Men came to visit at one point or another during the evening. Beast had even allowed food in the Med Lab when Jubilee and Paige suggested that they all eat dinner with Rogue. Finally, Beast had gently suggested that everyone leave so that Rogue could get some rest. The younger students eventually complied, leaving the senior members of the team alone with their still-recovering friend.

Silently, Remy looked around the room. 'Roro, Jean, and Scott were seated on the small, plain couch at the far end of the room, the Professor hovered next to them in his chair. Hank, Bobby, Betsy, Warren and Sam sat around the room in some of the various chairs that had been brought in at some point. Peter sat next to the bed in the chair Remy had spent many nights in. Kitty sat perched happily on his lap. Logan leaned against the doorframe and Kurt sat at the foot of the bed, asking Rogue every few minutes if she needed anything.

Remy smiled. He couldn't ever remember feeling so at peace. He watched Rogue's face as Kitty and Storm took turns telling her about all of Bobby's practical jokes she had missed in the last six months. He watched her laugh as Kitty finished a particularly funny incident. She was stunning. She was pale and thin, and a faint scar now ran down the left side of her face, but she had never looked more beautiful to him. Silently, he bent down, kissed her temple and gave her a little squeeze - partly because he couldn't keep himself from touching her and partly to assure himself that she was indeed alive and here with him.

"Love you, Chere," he whispered, just loud enough for her to make out the words and grin at him.

"As much as I hate to be the one to break up this delightful celebration, I'm afraid Miss Rogue needs her sleep," Hank announced to the room.

This statement was met with a few mummers of reluctant agreement and after several kisses goodnight, Rogue was left alone with Remy, Logan and Hank. After checking all her vitals, Beast patted her hand.

"Well, my dear, I believe you may just walk out of here in a few weeks."

"Thank goodness. Ah cain't wait ta get back to mah own bed."

"I cain't wait t'get t'your bed neither petite," Remy whispered, nibbling gently at her earlobe.

"Cool it, Cajun," Logan interrupted Rogue's giggle, "Don't you go pushin' her."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Remy smiled charmingly at the older man.

After saying his goodnights, Beast left the three alone in the quiet room.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Rogue spoke, "Y'konw...it's gonna be hard to get used to bein' powerless..." She fingered the scars in between her knuckles, "...and bein' covered with scars."

"Yer scars woulda been a lot worse. If we didn't have that Shi'ar technology you probably woulda been completely mutilated."

She nodded at Logan, but continued to rubbed the scars, as if that would make them go away.

"If Ah didn't know better Wolvie, Ah'd say that these scars here came from me sproutin' claws like yours."

"Me and Hank talked about that when we noticed those too. Anything's possible Rogue. We don't have a clue what they did to you. Who knows what happened."

She nodded, digesting the fact that she might never remember exactly what had been done to her.

As if reading her mind Logan leaned over and whispered, "I know what yer feelin' darlin'. Scared to death. You feel violated and vulnerable. Can't, for the life o' you, remember what happened. How you ended up this way. I ain't gonna lie to you. It doesn't get easier to accept, but it does get easier to ignore. I know right now yer wrackin' yer brain, tryin' to force yerself to remember. Don't do that. You've been through enough without puttin' extra pressure on yerself. Just let it come to you on it's own."

She looked up at him with wet eyes, "What if it never does? That scares me so much. Ah've missed over six months o' mah life, Logan. Ah want to remember as much as Ah can from before Ah went into that coma."

"I know darlin'. And there's no easy way to get through this. Just know that we're all here."

She nodded as a few tears escaped. Wiping them away in irritation, she tried to smile, "Now look what ya did! Got me all upset!"

Logan smiled gently, a rare sight, and kissed her on the forehead, "Goodnight darlin'."

"Night," she smiled.

"Take good care o' her Gumbo."

"Toujours," Remy nodded to Logan, "Bonsior, Logan."

Wolverine nodded to him and silently left the room.

"Alone at last," Remy nestled against her.

"Ain't you gonna go on up ta bed?"

"I am in bed," he answered, his eyes closed.

"Silly," she grinned at him, "In your room?"

"Petite, de whole time you been down here I slept in my bed one night....an' dat's only 'cause Logan and Kurt got me drunk and dat's where I woke up."

"You expect me to believe that _Kurt_ got _you_ drunk?"

"Oui," He answered, one eye open and looking at her," He did!" he insisted, noticing the look of disbelief on her face.

"Uh huh."

"Come 'ere," he carefully pulled her down with him. They lay in one another's arms for several quiet minutes in the semi-darkness.

"Remy?"

"Hmm? You still awake, Roguey?"

"Oui," she mimicked him.

He muttered something in French that she couldn't quite make out.

"What'd you call me?" she giggled.

"A smart-ass river rat."

She laughed and he squeezed her against him.

"Ow! Careful, Remy."

"I'm sorry, Chere," he sat up quickly, guilt coursing through him," Didn' mean to hurt you."

"Ah know Remy. It's okay. Ah'm just kinda sore all over. Layin' in this bed fer so long..."

Even in the darkness, the anger that flashed in his strange eyes was impossible to miss.

"What's the matter, sugar?"

"Not'in'."

"Rem...?"

"It's not'in' petite."

"Remy..."

"Alright!" he said it harsher than he had meant to, "Do you have any idea how it felt to lay on dat ground knowin' dat I was de reason dose men had you?"

"Pro'bly the same way it felt knowin' that you were layin' in the middle of nowhere with a bullet hole in you."

"Not de same Chere. I shoulda protected you."

"You tried, Remy. There was nothin' else you could do."

"Non. I coulda done more."

"Remy," she caught his cheek with her hand. Her bare hand. He marveled at the soft hidden strength he felt in it, "Please don't beat yourself up over this."

"Li'l late for you to be tellin' me dat Chere. For the last six months all I've done is play dat night over in my mind. Over an' over," he shook his head and looked away from her.

"Ah'm not gonna preach at you about it. Just please know that Ah don't blame you."

He finally nodded.

"And Remy?"

"Hm?"

"How 'bout a kiss goodnight?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, I decided to end this chapter on a high note...but ya'll know what's comin'...Anyways, I'll try to update later on this week. Much love, hugs and kisses,

-Alyx


	14. An Awful Good Mood

Recap: Some of the X-Men have taken a vacation to a large cabin Xavier owns in North Carolina. Rogue and Remy went into town for supplies and ran into a bit of trouble with some locals. Later that evening, they are again attacked by men with guns and inhibitor collars. Rogue is taken prisoner and Remy is left for dead. The other X-Men find him and go after Rogue. Finally, and with quite a bit of trouble, the X-Men find Rogue, but it's too late. Carly, a woman who has hated Rogue for years for the murder of her brother, causes Rogue's power to haywire and she basically goes crazy with power overload and causes the building to collapse. The X-Men are too late to save her from the crumbling building. They take her broken body back to the mansion and soon discover that her mind has been "destroyed". Months later, Psylocke helps "heal" Rogue's mind...

The X-Men ain't mine.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 14

"How do you feel today, Miss Rogue?" Beast peered at her over the silver rims of his eyeglasses.

"Like Ah'm gonna explode if Ah don't get outta here," the girl responded without a smile. She was getting better. She had even started walking on her own - under Gambit's watchful eye. But her mood swings were getting worse.

She heard a chuckle come from the doorway and turned her attention to Logan.

"What's so damn funny, Shorty?"

Wolverine continued to grin, "Nothin' darlin'. But the way you've been actin' lately, yer startin' to remind me of me."

"Well, it appears that is all about to change," Beast commented as her finished writing something on his clipboard, "I am releasing you into Mr. LeBeau's care."

"You sure about that, Hank?" Logan cut in before Rogue could respond, "I mean, maybe you should keep her here a few more days...just to be on the safe side." He grinned at Rogue who glared back at him.

"You better shut up if ya know what's good for you."

"Okay, kid. Whatever you say. I'll go get the Cajun Boy Wonder," Wolverine walked out chuckling.

"So am Ah better, Hank?"

"You are definitely getting there. Your legs aren't as strong as I'd like, but I think you would recuperate better outside of the Med Lab."

xxxx

"That's why I couldn't make peace with her death? Because somewhere in my mind I knew she was okay?" Betsy digested the Professor's hypothesis.

"It makes sense," Jean commented from her seat across the room, "You were so distant and distracted while Rogue was unconscious."

"We may never truly know how this happened. Just like we may never know exactly what was done to Rogue to negate her powers. Or what has caused their prolonged absence," Charles admitted.

"Well, the not-knowing is infinitely better than the alternative," Beast interrupted as he stepped into the Professor's office, "Especially since today I am releasing Rogue from the Med Lab."

"Thank goodness," Xavier smiled, "Does Remy know?"

"Logan went to get him. I think the two of them are going to help her get settled in her old room. Then I'm going to give her one more formal check-up and the rest of her recovery should go fairly quickly with only minor intervention by yours truly."

"Hank? Could you meet me down in the Med Lab after you finish up with Rogue? I have a favor to ask."

"Anything for you, Jean."

xxxx

"Hey, Gumbo!" Logan called out as he surveyed the large, hot gymnasium. Cyclops and Cannonball stopped their sparing exercise and looked over from their place in the boxing ring. Logan made his way over to them through the sweaty students and instructors. He hated the gym. A keen sense of smell was not always a blessing.

"Ah think he's in the Danger Room, Wolverine," Sam wiped the sweat from his face with a towel while Scott took a long swig of blue Gatorade. "Whadda ya need him for?" He motioned for Scott to hand over the beverage.

"Come and get it," Scott said almost playfully. Sam and Logan regarded him strangely. "What?"

"Yer in an awful good mood..." Logan ventured.

"So?"

"You're never in a good mood," Sam stated.

Scott shrugged, "Well, it's been a good couple of weeks. Rogue woke up, the students are doing amazing in their introductory Danger Room sessions, my wife is pregnant---"

"What?!" Logan and Sam interrupted him in unison.

Scott smiled and tossed Sam the Gatorade, "Drink up. I'm ready to go again." He slipped his mouthpiece back in and started punching at the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Slim. You can't just drop a bomb like that and expect us to go on about our business."

"Yea. I mean when did y'all find out? How far along is she?"

"Not so loud," Scott removed his mouthpiece again. "We found out two days ago and she's about six weeks along. Can we box now?" Cyclops continued to grin widely as he looked around to make sure none of the gym's other inhabitants were paying them any attention.

"No, we cain't box now!" Sam grabbed Scott in a hug, "Congratulations!"

Cyclops smiled and patted his back, "Thank you."

Logan pulled himself up to the other men using the boxing ring's ropes and extended his hand. Scott regarded him for a split second before removing his glove and clasping his teammate's hand.

"Congrats, Slim. I mean it."

"Thanks," he nodded.

"Next round at Harry's is on me."

Again, Scott nodded before releasing Logan's hand.

"Well, uh, I'm gonna go find Gambit," Wolverine stepped back down to the floor and started to walk away.

"Hey Logan!"

"Yea, Slim?"

"Jean wants this kept quiet for a little while longer..."

"No problem." _Not like I really want to go tell the world that Jeannie's havin' your kid._

Logan left the gym and headed toward the Danger Room.

xxxx

Gambit threw the kinetically charged eight of clubs at the soldiers as they came racing towards him, guns drawn. He grinned as they were blown away from him in pieces. Suddenly, the forest around him disappeared along with the pieces of his enemies. He turned to look toward the observation room. Logan was standing at the controls.

"Why don't you give those boys a break and come up here, Remy? Got some good news for ya."

xxxx

Logan smiled as he headed towards the kitchen. The words of Rogue's release had barley left his mouth before Gambit was sprinting towards the Med Lab with a stupid grin plastered across his face.

"What are you smiling about?"

Logan turned to see Jean coming out of the Professor's office.

His smile died instantly, "Hank just released Rogue."

"I heard," she smiled and stepped towards him. "It's wonderful for her and Gambit. They love each other very much."

"Yea," Logan looked away uncomfortably. He really didn't want to be alone with Jean right now considering the news that Scott had just shared. "Look Jean, I got somewhere to be. I'll see ya around." He turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything's great, Red," he called back.

"Are you angry with me, Logan?"

He turned back around to face her.

"It's just that you're broadcasting quite a bit of hostility and you just don't seem too eager to talk to me."

Logan sighed. It was wrong to act like this towards her. She had a right to have children with her _husband_. He turned back around to face her. He saw the concern for him shining in her beautiful eyes and he hung his head. No, he couldn't begrudge her children. Even if they were Scooter's.

"What's wrong?" she stepped toward him and placed her smooth palm against his stubbled cheek and forced him to look at her.

"Scott told me the news."

Her hand left his face and she took a step away from him, "Oh."

"I'm sorry---"

"What have you got to be sorry for?"

"---that you didn't hear it from me."

Logan stared at the floor as an uncomfortable silence claimed them.

"Look. I'm happy for you. I can tell this is what you want. Yer practically glowin'."

She blushed and smiled slightly at him, "Thank you."

Logan nodded and walked away. He swore he saw tears in her eyes.

xxxx

"Jean and I have an announcement to make," Scott called everyone's attention. The dinner table, for once, grew quiet as Scott took Jean's hand and they stood. Jean was smiling widely. She took in the sight before her. Her family looked back at her expectantly. Except one. Logan had gone out for the evening. Her smile faltered for a moment but then she caught site of Rogue and Remy. He was cradling her bare hand in his own.

"Go ahead hon. Tell everyone our news," Scott whispered, interrupting her thoughts.

"Unable to keep her excitement in any longer, Jean practically shouted, "I'm pregnant!"

xxxx

"Well that was somethin' else," Rogue smiled as she settled onto her bed. The excitement of the evening had exhausted her, "Ah'm so happy for them."

"Me too," Remy moved to lay behind her and wrap and arm around her waist. They lay spooned together for a few moments enjoying their newfound closeness before Rogue spoke again.

"Remy, Ah know Ah've asked you this before...and yer answer probably ain't changed..."

She felt him smile behind her, "What you wanna ask me petite?"

"Do you ever think about gettin' married? Maybe havin' kids?"

Remy swallowed and sat up.

_Uh-oh. Way ta go big-mouth._ Rogue silently chided herself.

"To be honest wit' you Chere. I haven't thought much about kids."

Rogue sat up and turned to look at him.

"Marriage on de other hand..." he got up and walked to the door, "I'll be right back."

Rogue sat on the edge of her bed, her feet dangling. Remy returned a few minutes later and closed the door behind him. He knelt in front of her on the floor.

"I wanted dis to be perfect, Rogue," He took her hands in his. "I wanted to take you to some fancy restaurant an' order champagne. I even had dis long eloquent speech planned. Unfortunately since I'm scared outta my mind right now, I forgot most of de t'ings I wanted to say. Except dis: I love you Rogue."

"Ah love you, too," she whispered.

He smiled up at her, "But we ain't at a fancy restaurant and we don' have any champagne. But I do have dis." He reached into the pocket of his shorts and produced a black velvet box. "And it's here and so am I and I love you Rogue, more dan I ever thought it would be possible to love another human being. Please," he opened the box to reveal a diamond ring, "Please be my wife."

"Oh Remy," she breathed, throwing her hands around his neck. "Yes! God, yes, Ah'll marry you!" They held each other for as long as Rogue could stand it. She finally pulled away. "Ah want ta try it on."

"Of course," he took the ring out of the box, "But I know for a fact dat it fits."

He slipped the golden ring onto her finger. It was, as he said, a perfect fit.

"Oh, Remy...Oh mah...it's beautiful! How did ya know mah size?"

He looked away, "Honestly? I guessed. But I knew it would fit. I musta slipped it on your finger a hundred times while you were in dat coma."

She looked at him, awestruck by the love she felt for this man.

"Ah cain't wait to be your wife," she kissed his lips gently.

"Are you sure you like it Rogue? I mean, we can get you a bigger diamond. I just thought that you'd like dis one. It's not too gaudy---"

"Shush," she placed a finger to his lips. "Ah love it. And I love you."

"I love you, too, mon amour."


	15. Let Her In

**Review Responses:**

**ishandahalf:** As always, your review made me smile. I can't thank you enough for your kind words. And I admit that I almost didn't put the part where Remy put the ring on her while she was in a coma in the story. I was worried some people might think it was weird for him to put jewelry on his unconscious girlfriend. But, I can see from your squealing that I did okay with that. Again, thanks for the praise. You're the greatest. Ah, and yes...I apologize, but Carly will not be magically dieing anytime soon. Sorry. :( Oh, and also...I posted chapter 14 and then went to take a shower. I get back in my room and I have a review from you! So that was soooo awesome. :) Being a bit "quick like a bunny on crack" were we? :P I really didn't expect a review so soon, so thanks for that.

**angyxoxo:** I apologize from keeping you from your school work. I mean, we all know how important it is right? Much more so than fan fiction...Okay, I just wanted to see if I could get through that with a strait face. :) Anywho, thank you so much for reviewing. As a fan of your work, your approval means a lot to me. And yea, I'm kinda pissed at Scott right now, too. I think Emma is controlling him psychically. Yep, that's my theory. I'm glad I could help you forget about stupid Marvel for a few moments. And yes, you are delusional, but hey, aren't we all? Otherwise we wouldn't be having nearly this much fun. As for your questions....all will be revealed....:D Thanks again!

**Jukebox: **Glad you liked the chappy. And I do apologize for the long update. I had some personal issues that I told y'all about in an earlier chapter. After all that was taken care of, I thought I'd be able to write, but I had a slight medical issue that I had to deal with too. All is well now, and you can rest assured that the next update isn't too far away. Thanks for sticking with the story. I'm glad you appreciated the recap. I thought it might be helpful considering I haven't updated in like six months. :( I feel bad for Wolvie to. I honestly didn't plan for Jean to be pregnant. I really have no idea where that came from. But I guess it worked out for the best since it indirectly prompted Remy's proposal. Anyway, I hope you like what's coming. Thanks again.

**IvyZoe: **Heh, again I apologize for the insanely long wait. I really feel terrible about not updating it. But rest assured that the rest will go smoothly. There are roughly seven chapters left, and I hope to have them all done by the time fall semester begins. (crosses fingers) Thank you so much for stickin' with this story. It's my first fan fic, so it'll always be my baby. :)

**Leishy:** Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad you liked this chapter. Like I said above, I didn't plan this one at all. It just came to me the other day. Anyway, thanks for taking time to review. Stay tuned for more Romy goodness. :)

**Kat:** I'm so glad that someone else likes Scott. I think he really gets a bad rep...Except right now with the whole Emma scandal he kinda deserves a kick in the ass, but whatever. I was worried that I made him too out of character, but I guess not. Thanks for the review. And don't worry, I've signed that petition AND sent several strongly worded letters and e-mails to Marvel. We must not sit idly by! :P

**lebibliothecaire:** No, not abandoned just yet. Thanks for stickin' with me. :)

**Abaiisiia:** Ah, another Scott-hater...:P I'm not his number one fan myself right now. But I still maintain that Emma is controlling him. I'm glad you like what you've seen so far. Hope I don't disappoint you.

** Star-of-Chaos, ****enchantedlight, allison, Boomkat:** Thanks so much for reviewing. The kind words mean so much to me. I hope you all enjoy where this story is going.

**I hope I haven't missed anyone. If I have - 1,000 apologies. I love all my reviewers! You guys are great!**

I don't own 'em. Please don't sue me. I'm poor.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 15

Rogue woke up the next morning felling happier than she ever remembered being. She snuggled closer to Remy and sighed.

"You finally awake, sleepyhead?

She pulled her head back and gazed into his dark eyes, "Mornin'." She squinted her eyes at the few leaks of sunlight that made their way through the drawn curtains.

"Mornin' belle," he smiled. His voice was thick with sleep, "How do ya feel?"

"Wonderful," she grinned and snuggled again. She caught sight of her ring and studied it as the newly risen sun's rays danced off the solitary diamond. She felt Remy kiss the top of her head.

"Penny for yer thoughts, Chere. Y'ain't..._regrettin'_ anyt'ing 'bout last night are ya?"

"Oh, Remy, no!" She was sitting up immediately.

"Bon," he propped himself up on an elbow and kissed the tip of her nose, before moving to get out of bed.

"Where are you goin'?"

"I got a Danger Room session to supervise in less dan an hour---"

"Why cain't we just stay in bed today?" she buried her face in his chest in a pleading manner.

"Truth be told, I'd rather snuggle for a few more hours m'self. But, Chere..."

"Okay, fine," his fiancée conceded, pouting slightly.

"Don' you give me dat look. Ain't my fault. 'Ro did the schedules dis week." He sighed as she continued to pout. "Okay, Chere ten more minutes, den I have to get up."

She grinned at her small victory as they settled back down under the covers.

xxxx

"You all know the mission. Our primary target is the girl. She comes out alive. But no one else in that building survives this." Simon Greene motioned to Xavier's school. He pressed a button on his communicator, "We're in position."

"Copy, Colonel. The other squads just checked in. We're waiting for your signal."

"We have a while to wait yet. We need to catch them completely unaware if any of us want to get out alive. And remember to stay away from their sensors until we get ready for the attack. We don't want them to know we're here until it's too late."

Simon set his lips in a thin line as he removed his rifle from it's place on his back and secured it in his experienced hands. He looked back at his men grimly and motioned for them to follow.

xxxx

Remy smiled to himself as he made his way down the hall to Rogue's bedroom. She wouldn't be up to bed for a while - Logan was helping her with her physical therapy this evening. Remy opened the door to the room and stepped inside. He slipped his sneakers off and made himself comfortable on the bed. The edge of his lips twitched as he thought about the meeting he had just left. Kurt, Storm and the Professor had asked him to Xavier's office. He never did make it to the Danger Room session that morning and Kurt had to pull a double shift to cover him when he didn't show up.

The three of them had been very agitated with him. At least, until he gave them his excuse.

_ "I do apologize for dat, Professor. But I do have a good reason for missin' dat session."_

_ "We are waiting," the bald man replied._

_ "Well, de t'ing is dis: Rogue didn't want me to get outta bed dis mornin' and my fiancée can be very persuasive..."_

He nearly laughed out loud when he recalled the looks on their faces. Then he had been showered with well-wishes, hugs and handshakes. The Professor let him off with a stern warning and Remy promised to never let it happen again. Then he left the meeting after the other three mutants promised not to say anything. He and Rogue wanted to keep their engagement a secret for a while longer. Rogue thought it was romantic or something like that. He didn't care either way. All he knew was that in a few months, he would be married to the most amazing woman he had ever known.

Remy turned over on his side and contemplated getting up and grabbing a quick shower. Or maybe he should wait for Rogue and convince her to join him...

Gambit never got to finish that thought. He was suddenly thrown onto the floor as a loud explosion rocked the mansion.

xxxx

"Be careful, darlin'. You wanna reverse all the hard work you've put into recoverin'?"

Rogue snatched her arm away from Wolverine and tried to perform the leg exercise again, "Ah said Ah was fine."

Wolverine smiled as she nearly hit the floor. He caught her before she made impact and laughed at her frustrated cry.

"It's okay, Rogue. Nobody expects you to be completely healed just yet. Take it slow."

"Ah don't want ta take it slow, Wolverine. I don't want to have to limp down the aisle at mah own wedding!" Her hand flew to her mouth instantly and she looked at her friend with wide eyes.

Logan smiled at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Please tell me that Ah didn't just say that."

"Oh, you said it. But I already kinda figured...seein' as how you got that little ring on your finger."

"Oh, Logan, please don't tell anybody. It's supposed to be a secret..."

"Don't worry, darlin'. Yer secret's safe with me. But if you plan on keepin' it hush-hush for too long, you may want to consider not advertisin' it." He pointed at the ring.

"Yea, Ah know. But Ah cain't bear to take it off. It's just that Ah wanted to keep it to myself for a few days. Just to get used to it. Plus I didn't want Scott an' Jean to think Ah was tryin' to steal their thunder..."

She noticed the shift in Logan's mood with the mention of Jean's pregnancy and mentally kicked herself. _God, why cain't Ah just keep mah mouth shut today?_

"Look, Logan," she attempted to repair the damage, "Ah'm really tired. Why don't we just call it a day?"

Logan nodded and moved to grab his duffle bag when he and Rogue were suddenly knocked off their feet as the gym shook around them.

"What's goin' on?"

"Don't know!"Logan yelled back,_ "_But I sure as hell don't like it!"

He managed to get to his feet and made his way over to Rogue. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Together, the two of them made their way to the door as another blast shook the walls around them and the intruder alarms began screaming through the halls.

The two X-Men stumbled into the hall as another explosion shook building violently.

"Jesus!" Logan shouted as part of the ceiling collapsed around them. He pulled Rogue down and covered her the best he could and waited for more debris to fall on them. The impact never came. Logan looked up to see Jean standing before them. He looked above him and saw the debris suspended inches above his head. With a flick of her wrist, Jean sent the fragments of ceiling flying into a heap behind her teammates.

"Are you two alright?" she came forward and knelt with them.

"We're fine," Rogue moved to stand, using Logan's shoulder as a prop. "What's goin' on?"

As if to answer her, the building shook again.

"We're under attack," Jean answered, leaning against the wall.

"No shit. Who is it, Jeannie?" Logan asked, running a hand through his hair and brushing out several pieces of plaster.

"I don't know," Jean shook her head, "I can't pick up on anyone outside the Institute, but...something's not right. It's almost as if my telepathy is being deliberately blocked."

Before the other two could respond another blast sounded.

"We need to get to the others and get out of here before the whole mansion caves in on us," Jean stood up and Logan and Rogue followed her.

xxxx

"Warren, look out!" Betsy screamed as the window behind her lover exploded and glass shards were sent flying into his back. He fell to the floor clutching at his back with one hand and trying to break his fall with the other. She was at his side instantly, checking him for serious wounds.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He sat up painfully as another grenade was tossed through a window on the far side of the library. He pulled her to him roughly and then wrapped his wings around both of them and waited for the explosion to come.

xxxx

"Oh my stars and garters!" Hank gasped ask he struggled to keep himself and the highly explosive tubes of chemicals upright. "Bobby! Grab that one!"

Bobby shot a stream of ice at the tube and froze it solid just before it hit the floor and shattered against the tile. Hank shot him a disapproving look.

"Without destroying it."

Bobby held up his hands in defense, "Hey, you didn't specify!"

"What the hell is goin' on?" Paige stumbled from the dark room where she had been developing some x-rays for Hank and landed on the floor.

"I'm afraid we are just as in the dark about this as you, my dear. Bobby and I will take care of these chemicals, Paige. You go to the upper levels and see if you can find out what's going on."

Paige nodded and made her way to the door quickly, despite the shaking building.

She started up the stairs and clung desperately to the handrail as another explosion rattled the building.

"Geez!" she shouted as a huge piece of falling plaster missed her head by mere inches. She ran the rest of the way up the stairs, using the temporary lull in explosions to her advantage. She got to the top of the stairs and stopped cold. In front of her lay Jubilee with a small pool of blood surrounding her head.

xxxx

Storm hovered just above the floor so that the shaking building didn't knock her off her feet. She, the Professor, Kurt and Scott had been in his office discussing the new Danger Room sims when the attack had started.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked. Scott nodded as he and Kurt helped the Professor back into his hovercraft that had become slightly damaged by the falling debris. The room shook again and the three men fell to the ground.

"This isn't working. Kurt!" Scott slipped into fearless leader mode naturally, "Get the Professor to a secure room in the lower levels. Storm and I will find the rest of the team and find out what's going on."

"Wait!" Charles looked to Storm and Cyclops, "Something isn't right here. I can feel it."

"What do you mean?"

"We're under attack---"

"That _is_ a bit obvious Professor," Kurt interrupted him.

"You don't understand, children. My psychic scans are being blocked somehow. I can't pick up on anything outside of the mansion walls."

"So...?"

"I believe we are being attacked by a mutant. A psychic."

Scott covered his face with his hand, "It's Carly, isn't it Professor?"

"It has to be," Storm acknowledged, "No one else could be powerful enough to nullify the Professor's power."

Charles nodded gravely.

"Right," Kurt nodded, "So what do we do?"

Scott licked his lips and swallowed, "Get the Professor to safety, Kurt. And find someone to help you get the students out. This vendetta ends here. Tonight."

xxxx

"This way!" Shadowcat called out to the group of students. She turned a corner and ran strait into Colossus.

"Petey! Thank god!" She hugged him tightly and then pulled away, "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Crap. Okay, here's what we do: You take this group down to the lowest level and wait for me there. I'm gonna go back for the other students."

"Shouldn't I go back up there?"

"No. I'm sneakier than you. And until we know what we're up against..."

"Da. Okay. Just be _careful_ Kitty."

"Always am." She blew him a kiss and took off towards the stairs.

xxxx

Gambit tore down the stairs four at the time. He barely had time to slip on his boots and grab his trench coat before Rogue's bedroom had been blown to pieces around him. He landed on the living room floor silently and quickly surveyed his surroundings. He made his was over to the Rec room. There was no enemy in sight. Remy let out a breath and fumbled in the interior pockets of his coat looking for his spare communicator. He didn't know what was going on, but finding the normally bustling Rec room empty and in shambles caused his hair to stand on end. Not to mention that the screaming intruder alert sirens were giving him a migraine. He had to find the other X-Men, and in particular Rogue. She was powerless now and still going through rehab to strengthen her legs. She just could walk on her own and now they were under attack in their home.

Finally, Remy pulled out his communicator and pressed the button.

"Dis is Gambit. If anyone can hear me please respond."

"Gambit, this is Shadowcat. Where are you?"

"In de Rec room. What de hell is goin' on?"

"I don't know. Have you seen anyone else?"

"Non. You?"

"Only Colossus. The majority of the students are safe with him."

"Bon. Can you meet me here to regroup and plan our next move?"

"Sure. I'll be there in a sec."

"I'll be waitin'."

xxxx

"Y'all sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should be headed to the lower levels until we know what's goin' on." Rogue walked behind Logan and Jean as they made their down the hall towards the Professor's office. The bombing had curiously stopped, though the alarms were still sounding, and the three X-Men were on the search for their teammates.

"I need to find the Professor before we do anything. Maybe he is able to pick up on something outside of the mansion." Jean walked with her hand pressed to her stomach. She was terrified. She felt completely helpless and vulnerable with her psychic powers "turned off" and an innocent life growing inside of her.

"Wait!" Logan whispered urgently, grabbing Jean's arm and pulling her back before she could step around a corner.

"Logan---" He put a hand to her mouth to silence her and started backing away from the corner. Rogue followed his lead.

"What's goin' on?" she whispered.

"We got company. I can smell 'em."

"Anyone we know?"

Wolverine was silent as he led the two women into a bathroom. He locked the door, but didn't turn on the light.

"Yea, we know 'em." He said quietly studying his teammates faces in the dim room. Outside the door, they could hear the light footsteps of their enemies.

"Well? Who is it?"

"It's Carly," Jean answered for him. She attempted to pick up on how many men they were up against, but her telepathy still felt off.

Rogue grew pale at the news and sank down to the floor. "She's here?"

"Don't worry darlin'," Wolverine released his claws, "They ain't gettin' to ya this time."

xxxx

"Come on Jubes. Talk to me, please!" Paige cradled her friend gently and brushed her black hair away from her too-pale face. "Come on Jubilee, please be okay." She felt tears forming in her eyes. She moved to brush them away, but stopped when she caught sight of her friend's blood on her hand. "Oh, God...I have to get Hank. He'll help you. I'll be right back, okay. I'll be right back."

"You're not going anywhere, mutie."

Paige's head snapped up and her blood ran cold. Before her stood four well-armed soldiers.

"Who are you people? Why are you here?" She demanded, sounding braver than she felt.

"Get up," One of the men motioned at her with his rifle, ignoring her question.

"Alright! Okay." She slipped her arms out from under Jubilee carefully and stood up.

"Take it easy, girl. No sudden movements."

"Alright, already. Could you just _not_ point those guns at me please?!"

"I'm givin' the orders here. Not you. Put your hands up. Pearson, give her the inhibitor collar."

"I thought we were supposed to kill everyone but the one with the white stripes," Pearson responded.

"Just shut-up and follow orders. We'll keep this one around for a little while. She's just a little girl. And she'll be our very own little bargaining chip."

_ White stripes? Shit. These are the guys that went after Rogue in North Carolina..._

"Paige...?"

"Jubilee?!" Completely forgetting the men, Paige knelt beside her fallen teammate, "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts like a bitch. What's goin' on?"

"Well," the gunman smiled, "Looks like we'll be needing two of those collars, Pearson."

xxxx

Scott let loose a full-powered blast at the men in front of him. He and Storm had been ambushed seconds earlier as they made their way towards the living room and now found themselves fighting for their lives. All Scott could think about was his wife and their unborn child as he went against every belief he had and set his visor to full blast. If killing these men were the only way to protect his family and home, then so be it.

Above him, Storm had come to the same conclusion. She blasted men left and right with lightning bolts as her winds whipped around her. She felt little remorse for the men she was striking down. They had, after all, nearly killed Rogue, Remy, and Bobby. And for what? Some sick woman's demented version of justice? No, Scott was right. This had to end tonight, for all their sakes.

She blasted another enemy away and looked to see how Scott was fairing. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw three men sneak up behind him. She realized instantly that she couldn't help him. Her lighting bolts were much to uncontrollable for her to try and knock the men away. She opened her mouth to warn him, but instead let out a scream as a bullet caught her left shoulder.

"Storm?!" She heard Scott's voice as she fell, and then nothing.

Cyclops felt sick as he watched Storm fall to the floor.

_Come on Wind Rider, get up._ He thought as he turned back to the battle. Suddenly, he was blown to his knees as something exploded behind him. After a few more explosions, the room was silent.

Scott looked up to see Gambit and Shadowcat standing in the doorway.

"Yer welcome," Gambit said grimly as he moved to take Cyclops' hand and help him up. "Kitty-cat, go check on Stormy."

Cyclops nodded his thanks and looked behind him. Three bodies. They had been right behind him. If Gambit hadn't shown up...

He shook his head to chase away the thought and turned to Remy, "Have you seen anyone else?"

"Non. You?"

"I sent Nightcrawler away with the Professor. Other than that..."

"Kitty said dat Colossus has a group of students safe wit' him in one of the lower levels. If it gets too hot in here, he'll be able to get dem out."

Scott nodded, "How's Storm?"

"She unconscious, but alive. She's got a bullet in her shoulder and she'll have a hell of a headache when she wakes up. But I think she'll be okay."

"Okay. Kitty, get her out of here. We can't leave her out in the open. Then get back here pronto."

Without a word, Kitty phased both of them through the floor.

"We need to find the rest of the team. It's dangerous for us to be split up right now."

"You can say that again, bub." Wolverine and Jean stepped into the room, "Me and Jeanie had a time with the little group we just took out."

"Jean," Scott was at her side instantly. He kissed her briefly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Wolverine," Gambit stepped forward, "Where's Rogue?"

"She was with us when the attack started," Jean answered. "We figured out it was Carly so we thought it would be best if we got her away from the battle."

"So _where_ is she?" Gambit couldn't help the panic that overtook him. These men were here for Rogue and now, Rogue was all alone.

"We took her to the Danger Room. The security system is on, Gumbo. There's no way they could get to her in there."

"I'm goin' after her."

"Gambit, no. Splitting up anymore than we have to is a bad move---"

"Dese folks are here for _her_ Cyclops. _She's_ dere target. Don' you get dat? What if dey were gunnin' for Jean, huh? Would you be standin' around talkin' 'bout strategies den? Non. I don' t'ink so." Without another word, Gambit headed toward the Danger Room.

xxxx

"What should we do, Professor?" Kurt watched the mansion from their hiding place in the woods. The bombing had stopped and the mansion was mostly dark. Chills ran up Kurt's spine as he watched groups of soldiers running freely all around the mansion grounds. He tried desperately to control his anger as another group made their way into the mansion through a hole that had been blown in the kitchen wall. This was his _home_...

"I think I'm beginning to break through whatever kind of shield it is that Carly has established. I think I may be able to contact Jean or Elizabeth now." Charles focused hard for a moment, his eyes closed tightly. Finally he let out a breath, "No. Something is still wrong. She's so strong, Kurt. I fear for our friends. We need to get back in there."

"But Professor, your chair was damaged. Without some way to move around---"

"Just get me back inside, Kurt."

xxxx

"It sure got quiet all of the sudden," Bobby mused. "What do you think happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Hank called from his office. "But whatever it was has knocked out the cameras. I'm trying to get them back online now so that perhaps we can see what's going on---Oh my!"

"What is it?" Bobby stepped into the office and looked to the one screen that Hank seemed to have fixed. It was a shot of the living room, or what was left of it. Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean stood amid the rubble and bodies.

"What the hell happened up there?"

Hank looked deep in thought. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a communicator. "Cyclops, this is Beast. Do you copy?"

"Beast! Thank God! Are you alright?"

"Yes. Iceman and I are fine. We're on the Lab. What has happened."

"It's Carly."

Hank shot Bobby a look. He looked like he was about to be sick.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Storm got hit. Shadowcat is getting her to safety. Colossus has most of the students and Kurt got the Professor out. Rogue is safely hidden for now."

"Where are the others?"

"We don't know."

Hank digested that. Who else had been home this evening? Sam and Celia were both out for the night. Betsy stayed home this evening. Warren. Paige...

"Bobby! We sent Paige up there alone."

Bobby swore under his breath. Paige wasn't even a senior yet. There was no way she could handle a combat situation. "I'm goin' after her." He iced up and turned to go.

"Bobby, wait."

"Cyclops, Iceman and I are on our way. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Affirmative. Watch your backs."

xxxx

"Colossus!" Shadowcat whispered loudly down the dim hallway. The bombing had knocked the lights out, and Kitty's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness. "Petey!"

"Kitty? Over here."

Suddenly a bright light hit Kitty in the face. "What the hell?"

"Sorry." Colossus lowered the flashlight.

"Where'd you get that?"

"One of the students had sense enough to grab one when this mess started."

"It's Carly, Pete. And she brought out the big guns this time."

"How are the others?"

"Storm's been hurt. But everyone else I've seen is fine so far. Of course, I haven't seen everyone."

He nodded, "Where is Storm?"

"I left her down the hall. I needed to get her out of harms way. Pete...We're needed up there."

Colossus turned around and looked at the terrified faces of the students. Most were crying now. "What about the children?"

"We have to leave them here. With Storm."

xxxx

Gambit punched in the security override codes and entered the large metallic room. He locked the door behind him and surveyed the dark Danger Room.

"Rogue?"

She stepped out of the shadows.

Remy closed his eyes and let out a breath as relief flowed through him.

Rogue ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Ah was so scared somethin' had happened to you, Remy. Oh, God are you okay?"

"I'm fine Chere. Everyt'ing's gonna be okay," he whispered into her hair. She pulled back and looked at him.

"Ah'm scared, Remy. These guys took me out when Ah was at full power..." her voice caught, "Now Ah'm powerless..."

"Shhh," Remy pulled her back to him and stroked her hair, "I might not have done de best job of protectin' you before, but dis time, Chere, I promise dey won't hurt you."

xxxx

"What's goin' on?" Jubilee looked at her friend in fright.

"We're in a little trouble."

"No shit," she joked weakly.

"Hey! I said to get your hands up _now_!"

"What do we do?" Jubilee raised her hands the best she could.

"Just follow my lead and when I tell you to, I need you to husk my outer layer for me," Paige whispered.

"What? That's gross. You know I hate it when you do that. Why would I want to do it for you?"

"Because our survival depends on it. Now shut up and do it." Paige stood and faced her opposition. "My friend can't stand up. She's hurt her head."

"Well, she better not try any funny business, or else you get one o' these right through that pretty little skull of yours."

"Ya hear that Jubes? Don't go playin' hero."

Pearson stepped towards Paige with an open collar. Just as he prepared to snap it around her neck, she lunged at him, knocking the collar out of his hand and him to the floor.

"Shoot her!"

"Jubes, now!" Paige began peeling away her face as Jubilee pulled at the skin on her legs to reveal her new form. By the time the solders fired, Paige's body had morphed into solid rock. As the bullets clipped off sections of her new body, Paige smiled at the men.

Before they had time to take anymore shots at her friend, Jubilee shot blinding fireworks at them. Then Husk went to work.

xxxx

Nightcrawler and the Professor appeared in a cloud of smoke outside the Danger Room. Kurt held the Prof up to the keypad allowing him to type in the pass code. The door slide open and the two entered the dark room, locking the door behind them.

"Merde!" Remy yelled suddenly, "You two scared de fuck outta me!"

"Gambit? Are you alright?"

"We're fine." Rogue stepped up behind him.

"Thank goodness, Rogue." The Professor smiled briefly at her.

"What are you two doin' here?" Remy asked Kurt. "Thought Cyke told you to get clear."

"The Prof had other plans."

Xavier nodded, "The Cerebro unit in my office has undoubtedly been destroyed so I had Kurt bring me here so that I can access the Danger Room unit."

"Okay...?" Remy prompted the Professor.

"He thinks that with Cerebro we may be able to beat Carly," Kurt replied. He looked over to Rogue, "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded silently and gave him a weak smile. He smiled back, but his was no more sincere. They were in a bad situation, and they were swiftly running out of time.

xxxx

"Well, Robert, it appears our assistance wasn't considered necessary."

Paige turned and smiled as she let the last of the soldiers fall to the ground unconscious.

"Hey boys," Jubilee said weakly from the floor. "You're a little late."

"Jubilee! What happened to you?" Bobby knelt beside her and turned her head to examine her injury.

"I was on my way down to see Paige when the building started shaking. I guess I got knocked in the head with a piece of ceiling or something. It reeeeally hurts."

"I imagine it does." Hank continued to examined the wound while Bobby stood and began pacing the small corridor.

"Hey, Bobby?" Paige asked as she peeled away her rock skin to reveal her normal appearance. "Are you okay?"

Bobby shook his head and kept pacing. Hank glanced at him momentarily then spoke to the girls. "Paige, I need you to get Jubilee back to the Lab. Bandage her head up as best you can to stop the bleeding and keep it clean. Then, the two of you head down to the tunnels under the mansion. Most of the other students should already be there. All of you are to wait there until one of the X-Men comes to get you. If you don't hear anything from us within the hour, the two of you lead the kids out and away from the mansion. There is a special communicator in the second drawer on the right hand side of my desk in the Lab. When you get clear of the mansion, use the phone to contact Moira McTaggert. She'll be able to send help. Then call Cecilia Reyes and your brother, Paige, and let them know what has happened."

"Hank," Paige had gone pale, "What _has_ happened?"

"The crazy bitch that nearly killed me is upstairs with a fuckin' army, Paige!"

"Bobby!"

"No, Hank. They need to hear this. Those people up there are insane and they are bloodthirsty so you two have got to get yourselves out of here, do you understand me?"

The girls nodded numbly. The normally laidback Iceman's outburst had obviously shaken them.

"Just go girls," Hank helped Jubilee up and Paige moved to help support her.

After they were out of earshot, Beast turned to his distraught friend.

"Save it, Hank. I don't need to hear it. Let's just go and get this over with."

They started up the stairs when they heard the Professor's voice in their heads.

"X-Men! Those of you who are able please report to the Danger Room immediately."

"You heard the man," Bobby turned a too fake smile on his friend as he turned his body to ice.

xxxx

"Behind you, Kitty!" Colossus yelled from across the room. The two of them had made the mistake of making their way to the Danger Room through the kitchen.

Kitty turned intangible as the man behind her lunged. Then turned her fist solid as it contacted with his jaw.

"Another one out for the count big guy!" She called as she dodged a punch. In a matter of moments, nearly a dozen intruders lay unconscious in the kitchen floor. Kitty wiped the sweat from her top lip and looked at her teammate. "Now...where were we?"

xxxx

Moments later, the Professor, Cyclops, Jean, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Beast, Iceman, Shadowcat and Colossus were locked inside the Danger Room planning their next move. With Cerebro's help, the Professor had determined that the X-Men had taken out most of their enemies on their way to the Danger Room.

"So now all we really have to worry about is Carly herself and the few men she has with her," Charles mused.

"But where is she Professor?" Rogue spoke up for the first time in several minutes.

"Somewhere close. But I can't pinpoint an exact location, even with Cerebro's help."

Rogue swallowed and sank deeper into Gambit's embrace.

"Don' worry, Rogue. Everyt'ing's gonna be just fine."

"How can you say that, Remy? She's knows we're here. She's just bidin' her time. Sooner or later she's gonna come after me and all of you'll be caught in the middle."

"Dere's no place I'd rather be than in between you and her, Chere." Remy kissed the top of her head. "Have you thought about what kind of flowers you want for de wedding yet?" He whispered in her ear.

Rogue smiled slightly, "Hard to believe that that was just this mornin', huh? Ah love you, Remy."

"Love you, too." He squeezed her tighter against him.

"I have some good news," the Professor interrupted them. "I finished my scan of the school. All of the students made it down to the lower levels."

"Thank goodness," Jean sighed, leaning her head against Scott's chest.

"What about Angel and Psylocke?" Logan asked from a few feet away.

"I can't find them. Either they've escaped or..."

"Don't say it, Prof," Bobby said from his place on the floor - the first words he'd spoken since entering the room.

Before anyone could respond, Jean and the Professor doubled over.

"Oh, God!" Jean screamed as she fell to her knees clutching at her head. Scott fell to the floor beside her, looking utterly helpless. The other X-Men were on their feet immediately.

"It's Carly! She's coming!" Xavier screamed as he yanked Cerebro off his head and tossed it aside, "X-Men prepare for battle!"

Logan stepped toward the door. "Been waitin' to hear those words all evening."

Cyclops surveyed the room silently then closed his eyes.

"Scott?" he opened his eyes at Jean's pleading tone.

"What is it hon?" He attempted a smile as he brushed her bright hair away from her sweaty face.

"Carly's sending out some sort of psychic shock waves. As long as she does that, Charles and I are useless to you. We need you to distract her long enough to give us a moment to recover. We may be able to beat her Scott, but not if she keeps us out of the fight like this." Jean cried out again as another wave assaulted her. Scott watched his wife writhe in agony on the cold metal floor for a moment and then turned to his team.

"Danger Room. Lights on." The room lit up instantly. "We may as well see what we're up against." He said more to himself than to the others. "Okay team, be careful. Watch your own back as well as each other's. And hold nothing back." He turned toward the door, "What are you waiting for Logan? Let her in."

xxxx

xxxx

xxxx

Wow, guys. This was hard to write. And it's 18 freakin' pages long! I hope it turned out okay. I'm really worried that it was too repetitive or something, but I was trying to keep it as un-confusing as possible since there was so much going on. I hope everything was easy to understand. If there something that isn't too clear, please let me know in a review and I'll do my best to fix it. There wasn't too much R&R interaction here, but I wanted to feature a few other X-Men. Plus I really have thought out this battle, so I needed to have everything taken care of (for instance: the students). The next chapter is ready to post, but I'm holding it hostage until I get lots and lots of reviews. :)

Thanks for reading!

-Alyx


	16. So We Won?

**Review Responses:**

**ishandahalf: **And **again**, you were my first reviewer. :) Y'know, at first I thought it was kinda neat...now it's just weird...:P And I love the nickname you've given my villainess: "stupid Carly garbageface" Very appropriate, I think. I'm glad you liked Remy's little remark. That seems like something he would do, y'know. To let her know that they'd get through the crisis. Too bad the guys I know don't do sweet things like that....Anyhow, sorry to disappoint ya, but there is quite a bit of more badness coming. Anyhow, thanks for the review and the kind words. You're the greatest, you know that? Of course you do! :)

**Abaiisiia:** Thank you for the lovely review! Like I said before, I was nervous about posting it because it felt choppy to me and also because of the lack of Romyness. But I promise, much Rogue and Remy interaction to come.

**Jukebox:** A battle scene indeed, and I hope you aren't disappointed. Thanks for the review. :)

**Kat:** I agree with you 110%. Cyclops is a very deep character. And he has soooo many dimensions. I love writing him because there are just so many possibilities for what I can do with him. I'm glad you like how I'm portraying him. I hope no one sees it as out of character. But like you said, this whole mess with Emma is out of character so...:P Thanks for the review!

**JollyRocker:** As you can see, I released my hostage. :) He was getting very restless. Anyhow, thanks for the review and kind words. As for the wedding, let's just see if they live that long...

**angyxoxo:** Heh, when I proofread chapter 15 it seemed to go by really fast too. Go figure. Yea, Bobby's pretty upset about the crazy lady trying to take him out, not to mention his friends. He's another character I love to write. He's a big clown, but he has so much potential. You can do almost anything with him. And yes, Scott is a big jerk. But that's Marvel's Scott. This is my Scott and he would NEVER cheat on Jean. And yea, he's uber protective of her anyway and now that she's pregnant...well, the bad guys just better watch out.  
You don't have to keep bringing up my 6 months of absence, y'know. I feel bad enough as it is. :P j/k  
Thanks for your kind words and interest in this story. There are 6 chapters left, so it should be done by the end of the month. Then I plan on working on **Renegades, Rebels and Rogues** nonstop. So stay tuned. :)

**enchantedlight:** As you wish...an update! :)

**Star-of-Chaos:** Don't worry. Carly will get hers...eventually...maybe...

**IvyZoe:** Angel and Psylocke's fates are revealed in this chapter. As for Remy...he is the ultimate romantic, isn't he? I mean a man who can love a woman he can't touch is one in a kazillion.:)

**B-Marie:** Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I always welcome new readers and I'm glad you are enjoying the story thus far. :) As I said above, as soon as I'm done with this fic, I'll be working nonstop on ** Renegades, Rebels and Rogues**.

**Thank y'all so much for reviewing. It's your comments that keep me sitting at my computer working late into the night when I would otherwise just give up on my stories and go to bed. :)**

** Short recap from chapter 15:**

_ "It's Carly! She's coming!" Xavier screamed as he yanked Cerebro off his head and tossed it aside, "X-Men prepare for battle!"_

_ Logan stepped toward the door. "Been waitin' to hear those words all evening."_

_ Cyclops surveyed the room silently then closed his eyes._

_ "Scott?" he opened his eyes at Jean's pleading tone._

_ "What is it hon?" He attempted a smile as he kneeled and brushed her bright hair away from her sweaty face._

_ "Carly's sending out some sort of psychic shock waves. As long as she does that, Charles and I are useless to you. We need you to distract her long enough to give us a moment to recover. We may be able to beat her Scott, but not if she keeps us out of the fight like this." Jean cried out again as another wave assaulted her. Scott watched his wife writhe in agony on the cold metal floor for a moment and then turned to his team._

_ "Danger Room. Lights on." The room lit up instantly. "We may as well see what we're up against." He said more to himself than to the others. "Okay team, be careful. Watch your own back as well as each other's. And hold nothing back." He turned toward the door, "What are you waiting for Logan? Let her in."_

Okay, so everyone caught up? Good. Onward!

I don't own the X-Men. But I do own the bad guys. Sooo, yay - go me!

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 16

Wolverine felt the keys beneath his finger as he punched in the pass code. This wasn't the ideal situation. He felt vulnerable trapped in the Danger Room. He hated feeling vulnerable. He hated feeling trapped. He swallowed and took a few claming breaths. He had to be on top of his game this time. There could be no mistakes or they were all screwed.

"Ready?" He asked his teammates, his index finger poised above the "enter" button.

A pained groan from Charles prompted a slight change in plans.

"Nightcrawler," Scott turned to face the teleporter, "Get the Professor, Jean and Rogue up to the control room then get back here ASAP. They should be safer up there anyway." _Why didn't I think of that before? Damnit Summers, you've got to be on top of things this time. It can't go wrong like last time..._

"No way," Rogue stepped forward, "Cyclops, please. Ah'm the reason she's here. Let me fight."

"Don't think so darlin'," Logan didn't even spare her a glance.

"Rogue," Cyclops took over, "You are their target and you're powerless. I suggest you sit this one out."

Rogue opened her mouth but Gambit silenced her with a look.

"Dey be right, Chere an' you know it."

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Rogue stayed silent. Noticing her face, Remy lowered his voice, "Please stay away from dese folks, Rogue. Don't want to lose you to dem again."

"Okay. Alright," She whispered and moved to kiss him softly on the lips. She hugged him briefly and whispered in his ear, "But Ah don't want to lose you to them either."

He gave her a crooked smirk that conveyed every ounce of his arrogance and pulled out a fresh deck of cards.

**xxxx**

With Rogue, Jean and the Prof hidden in the control room Kurt teleported back to the rest of the team and gave an affirmative nod to Scott letting him know that the three of them were safe for the time being.

"Ready when you are," Scott said quietly. Logan pressed the final button and the large metallic doors swished open.

"There's no one there," Shadowcat stated the obvious.

Logan stepped out into the hallway cautiously, "No sign of 'em, Slim."

"Everyone, stay alert! We can't afford---"

Scott's order was cut short as the X-Men were suddenly thrown in various directions from an explosion behind them. Logan was the first to recover. He looked over to the now present hole in the back of the Danger Room and his blood ran cold. Heavily armed solders came running through the opening.

He looked to his left to see Gambit walking towards him with Cyclops' arm around his shoulder. Scott was limping badly.

"Oh, shit."

**xxxx**

Rogue picked herself up off the cold metal floor of the control room. _What in the world was that?_ She shook her head to clear it and walked over to peer out the observation window. And then, she wished she hadn't.

"Oh mah god..." was all she could manage as she took in the sight before her. A gaping hole was at the far end of the Danger Room. From that hole filed dozens of soldiers.

"What is it?" Jean joined her at the window and gasped. "Oh, no..."

"What has happened?" Xavier questioned from his spot on the couch in the back of the control room. He struggled to sit up on his elbows, but gave up when he realized just how much Carly's attacks were weakening him.

"The bad guys just blew a hole in our Danger Room and the X-Men are down. Wait. There's Logan!" Rogue pointed, "He's up! What about the others? Can you sense 'em, Jeannie?"

Jean closed her eyes for a moment then turned to Rogue, "They're all alive. Nightcrawler, Colossus and Iceman are unconscious, but everyone _is_ alive."

"There's Remy! And Scott!" Rogue pointed at them though the thick glass.

Jean felt relief course through her at the actual site of her husband. Then her face contorted in agony as she fell to her knees clutching her head.

"Jean, what's wrong?" Rogue knelt beside her. Xavier let out a whimper from his place on the couch.

_ Another one o' those damn metal waves that bitch is sendin' out...Ah gotta do somethin'..._

She heard shouting from the Danger Room and stood to look back out the window. The solders had their guns trained on Wolverine, Gambit and Cyclops. They were telling them to surrender.

"They're outnumbered nearly fifty to three..." Then she noticed how Scott was leaning on Remy to keep upright and how Remy was cradling his right arm to his chest as if it were broken. "And they're hurt." She focused on Remy's face, and for a moment, time stood still. His handsome features were drenched in sweat. Blood ran out the side of his mouth and from a deep gash in his forehead. He winced every time he took a breath.

"Screw this," Rogue said disgustedly, turning away from the window. "That bitch ain't hurtin' my family anymore. And she sure as hell ain't hurtin' mah man again."

**xxxx**

"So what's de plan, Fearless?" Remy attempted as smart-alecky tone, but it came out sounding forced as he wiped the blood from his lips.

"We blast 'em and Logan slices 'em?"

"Sounds good to me, bub." Logan growled as one of the soldiers again told them to surrender.

"Stand down, men." A new voice echoed through the Danger Room. A tall, camouflage clad man stepped in front of the soldiers. He looked the three mutants over and smiled. "Good evening gentlemen. My name is Colonel Greene."

"I don't give a fuck who you are---"

"Now, Wolverine. Is that any way to talk to a guest?"

Momentarily thrown by the man calling him by his codename, Logan only growled in response.

"Cyclops. I suppose I should be addressing you. I propose a trade. You give me Rogue and Xavier and we promise never to bother any of you or this school again." The lie rolled easily off Simon's tongue. All the muties would die tonight. Even the young ones in the tunnels below. He would kill them _all_ to make Carly sane again.

"You go ta hell," Remy spat at him, eyes glowing dangerously.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought you'd say that." The Colonel gave the three men a fake smile. "Very well then. Men? Guns up."

The soldiers pointed their guns at the three X-Men.

"Attack with everything you have on my mark," Cyclops said quietly. "We go on three."

"Ready..."

"One..."

"Aim..."

"Two..."

Before either side had a chance to react, they found themselves surrounded by thick green foliage. Then from out of nowhere appeared several huge dinosaurs.

**xxxx**

Rogue smiled as she watched the solders scatter, trying to escape the huge raptors, "Ah do love the Danger Room."

**xxxx**

"Rogue," Remy smiled and looked over at Logan. "Dat girl is somethin' else ain't she?"

Logan grinned slightly, "Come on. We gotta find the others and regroup."

**xxxx**

Rogue crept through the bushes scanning the "Savage Land" for sight of her friends. She heard something behind her and turned to see Kitty Pryde.

"Thank goodness! Ya alright, Kitty?"

"Yea. My side hurts. Think I bruised a few ribs, but I'm okay. What are you doing down here? Cyclops said---"

"You seen anyone else?" Rogue cut her off.

Kitty shook her head. "Good thinkin' by the way. The Savage Land. We run this sim all the time. We all know it like the back of our hands."

"And Ah was countin' on _that_ bein' our saving grace."

**xxxx**

"Do you have them yet, Simon?!" Carly's shrill voice screamed over the communicator on the Colonel's shoulder.

"We're doing the best we can, but this...place isn't making finding them very easy."

"You are such an incompetent moron! I'm on my way down."

Simon switched the communicator off in frustration and continued his search.

**xxxx**

"Uh...Mein head..." Kurt Wagner struggled to sit up. Finally managing to get himself upright, he leaned against a large tree and allowed his head to fall back. "Gott..." He closed his eyes, trying to lessen the throbbing pain at the base of his skull. Nearly gasping for breath through the pain, Nightcrawler managed to press the communicator on his shoulder.

"This is Nightcrawler. I am alone and injured. I need help, please..." Hearing no response after a few moments, Kurt realized that his communicator was probably damaged in the blast. _Either that or there's no one left to help me._

He tried to get up, but fell back against the tree as a wave of dizziness overcame him and the world went black.

**xxxx**

"Over here, Kitty!" Rogue whispered urgently, motioning for Kitty to follow her. "Ah found Kurt!" She knelt beside him and felt for a pulse. Finally feeling proof that he was alive beneath her fingers, she turned to where Kitty stood behind her. "He's alive, but we gotta get him outta the Danger Room before he gets hurt any worse."

"I can get him down to the lower levels with 'Ro and the kids. Someone needs to check on them anyway."

"Okay. I'll keep lookin' for the others."

"Rogue, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you don't have your powers anymore---"

"Ah'm more than mah damn powers, Kitty! And Remy and the others are still out here. We have to find them."

"Okay! Okay. You're right. Just...watch your back."

"You too."

**xxxx**

Gambit wiped the sweat from his forehead with his dirty palm, smearing grime and blood across his skin.

"Anyt'ing yet?"

"Shhh. I hear somethin'." Logan sniffed the air and a hard look came over his face. "I'll be right back. You and Cyke stay here."

Remy nodded and went back inside the cave where Scott sat against the wall. Gambit sat across from him. He cringed when he accidentally moved his injured arm.

"What's going on?"

"Wolvie smelled somet'ing. T'ink he went to go do a li'l slicin' an' dicin' wit'out us, ami."

Cyclops let out an exasperated sigh, "I told him that we needed to stay together until---"

"Cool it, Slim. I'm right here," Logan's voice came from the mouth of the cave. "And look who I found."

He shoved someone forward. In the dark cave, Remy just could make out the form of the newcomer.

"Rogue?!"

"Hi sugah," she smiled lightly. "How's your arm?"

"What de hell are you doin' down here, girl?" Remy was on his feet immediately. "Are ya crazy?! You're completely open to attack! Dat woman be crazy an' she's comin' after you--"

"She's comin' after all o' us, Remy!" She yelled back, completely fed up with her teammates thoughts on what was best for her. The four were silent then as the truth in Rogue's words echoed through the damp cave. "Ah'm sorry. Ah shouldn't have yelled---"

"Nothin' to be sorry for," Remy stepped towards her and crushed her against him with his good arm. "You're scared. We all are." He kissed her hair as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yea, we're flippin' terrified," Logan interrupted them. "Now can we please go kick some ass?"

"We've got to find the others before we go headfirst into a battle, Wolverine. Everyone else could be out there somewhere hurt and unable to defend themselves for all we know."

"Ah've seen Kitty and Kurt. Kitty's fine. But when we found Kurt, he was unconscious. Kitty took him down below. She was gonna check on the students and Storm while she was down there."

"So that leaves Colossus, Iceman, and Beast still M.I.A. We have to assume that they are still alive."

"They _are_ alive." Logan insisted, giving Scott a harsh glare.

Ignoring him, Scott continued, "I can't walk so I'm more of a liability than anything at this point."

"Then the three of us will go find our people."

Scott was silent for a moment, then realized that they didn't have much choice. "Alright. But be careful and stay alert. Do any of you have a working communicator?"

"Oui," Gambit nodded, still holding Rogue against him.

"Good. Contact me with any news."

**xxxx**

"You shoulda gone wit' Kitty. Least down dere you'd been safe."

"What, Remy? You don't like the idea of diein' by mah side?" Rogue tried to tease him, but her heart really wasn't in it.

Remy shook his head, "Don't much like de thought of you diein', petite." He sighed and stopped walking, catching her wrist in his hand, he turned her to face him. "I wan' you to promise me somet'ing, Chere. If we come up on some trouble, you get away. Get back to de cave an' stay dere. No matter what happens. No matter what you see."

"Ah..."

"If you love me, Rogue, den you'll do dis."

"How can you ask me to do that, Remy? Leave you and Logan behind to die?! Ah cain't and Ah won't."

"Rogue---"

"Shh!"

The arguing couple looked up ahead of them to see Logan giving them a hard glare.

"If you two are done, there's somethin' up here you outta see."

**xxxx**

"Shadowcat!" Paige gasped as the petite brunette phased through the ceiling with her injured teammate. "Oh, god."

"Don't sweat it. He's alive. Is everyone okay down here?"

"Storm woke up a while ago, but she passed out again. Her vitals are okay and we stopped the bleeding. Jubilee can't sit up for long periods of time, but she's forcing herself to stay awake in case the two of us have to evac the other kids. The other students are terrified."

Kitty looked closely at Paige and past her to where Jubilee sat up against a wall, head back, breathing deeply. They had grown up a lot in the last hour.

"Okay," Kitty nodded. "You guys are doing really great, Paige."

"Thanks." Paige replied quietly as she helped Kitty move Kurt. When they had him resting comfortably next to Storm, Paige spoke again. "Do you think I should call Sam now? Beast said to wait. I guess he wanted someone to be in reserve in case we needed them."

Kitty thought it over for a minute, "Go ahead and call him."

"Cecilia too? She can help with Jubes, Storm and Kurt."

"Yea. But tell them to be on their guard and come in through the tunnels. And tell them to be careful. I'll stay with you until they get here."

** xxxx**

"Oh mah god. Are they all dead?"

"Smells like it," Logan sniffed the air again just to be sure.

"_Looks_ like it." Remy felt relief flow through him. No danger would be found here.

"Apparently the Danger Room doesn't like intruders anymore than we do."

Gambit knelt and picked up one of the dead soldiers rifles and checked it, "Dis son of a bitch didn' even got a shot off."

Rogue looked away and fought back the bile that rose in her throat. The bloodied pieces of her enemies strewn across the jungle floor was ghastly. No matter how much she hated these people, she hated to think about how they ended up this way.

"You alright?" Logan grunted.

"Ah'm fine. Jus'...ain't too fond of the sights and smells of a massacre."

"Well, good news is we don't have to worry about these guys anymore. There aren't that many of them left alive now."

"Bon," Gambit tossed Rogue the rifle. "Now it's a bit more fair. An' you keep dat t'ing wit' you."

"Now why would she want to do that, X-Man?" A new voice called from behind them.

"Fuck," Logan cursed. The stench of blood had been too strong for him to smell anyone sneaking up on them. He whirled around, claws out, ready to fight.

**xxxx**

Hank McCoy silently thanked his lucky stars and whatever deity that had seen fit to watch over him as he made his way through the dark underbrush of the "Savage Land". He had survived the latest explosion relatively unscathed and just moments ago he had heard screaming from the far side of the jungle and could only assume that their enemies had fallen victim to the Danger Room. He couldn't deny that he felt tremendously relived that at least some of the soldiers were no longer a problem. He was desperately racking his brain, trying to figure out his next move when something to the left of him, deeper in the foliage caught his eye.

"Bobby! Are you alright?" Hank leapt through the bushes to get to his friend.

"I'm fine, Hank." He didn't look fine. He was drenched in sweat and dirt and he was leaning heavily on a tree. His lip was busted and his nose looked broken. "Where the hell have you been? We've been lookin' for you."

"We?"

"Me and Colossus. He's the only other person I could find in this place."

"Ah. And where is Petey Pureheart?"

"Behind you," came the thick Russian accent. Beast turned to see his teammate in his armored form.

"Good to see you looking intact, Colossus."

"You, as well, my friend. Iceman, have we any new options?"

"None that I've been able to find. And I can't raise anyone else on my communicator.

Beast was silent a moment, "Then we may be the only ones left. In which case, our first priority is to evacuate the children."

"You're right. Okay, new plan. You two go ahead down to the tunnels and start the evac. I'm gonna head to the observation room to see if I can find the Prof, Jean or Rogue."

"Bobby, perhaps one of us should accompany you?" Beast eyed his friend with concern. Bobby looked like he could pass out at any given moment.

"No. The kids are our priority, Hank. If I don't find them soon, I'll be right behind you guys. Agreed?"

"...Agreed."

**xxxx**

Instinct had Gambit instantly put himself between Rogue and their adversaries. One he recognized as the Colonel, four were soldiers that had manage to escape the wrath of the Danger Room and the sixth figure could only be Carly. He watched Wolverine out of the corner of his eye, ready to follow his lead if he decided to go for an attack. Instead, the old Canadian stood his ground, claws out, looking mad as hell.

Remy weighed his options. Five guns and a psychic against his agility and two decks of cards. He figured he had a pretty decent chance, even with one arm out of commission - especially if Logan had his back.

_Careful, Remy._ An unfamiliar voice echoed in his head. _Perhaps you should think about the situation you're in before you go and do anything rash._

It was Carly's voice. He looked at her then, cold anger burning in his red irises, "Get outta my head," he managed to ground out through clenched teeth.

"You X-Men certainly are a rude bunch," Simon grinned. "One would think that you'd be a bit nicer considering the situation you're in."

"And what situation would _that_ be, bub? Six o' you against three X-Men. Seems the odds are in _our_ favor."

Simon had his gun up and pointed directly at Wolverine's skull in less than a second. He smiled, "In case you've forgotten, old man, these bullets _are_ adamantium. Let's see who's metal wins. Mine or yours."

"Enough of this. Rouge," Carly addressed her enemy directly for the first time. "You are a hard one to kill aren't you? I suppose this time, I'll have to kill you with my bare hands to make sure the job is done right."

"Anytime you wanna go hand-to-hand, Ah'm ready. You just make sure you don't go usin' any o' them powers o' yers and keep them boys there back," Rogue stepped around Remy as she called out her challenge.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'll have to decline. I have nothing to prove to you _ little girl_. All I want is to make you suffer. And I think I know exactly how I can accomplish that." Smiling, Carly upholstered the pistol on her hip and aimed it at Gambit's heart.

**xxxx**

"Charles? Charles, are you alright?" Jean crawled across the floor to where her mentor lay motionless on the couch. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then helped him ease back into consciousness.

"Jean? What's happened?"

"I'm not sure. Carly's attacks have stopped for the time being. Either she's gone, the X-Men beat her, or she figures you and I aren't worth the trouble anymore. She probably thinks she knocked us out of the fight for good."

"Well, Phoenix. What say we prove her wrong?"

**xxxx**

"No. Please...Ah'll do anything you want," Rogue took a step towards Carly. "Please don't hurt him. _Ah'm_ the one who killed your brother. The X-Men - they have no part in this. It happened before I met any of 'em!"

Gambit silently watched his adversaries. Carly's gun wasn't the one he was worried about, despite the fact that it was pointed at him. The woman was sick. She could order a bullet from any one of her goons telepathically at any moment.

"I hate fuckin' telepaths," he said quietly. Only Logan heard him.

Wolverine gave him a grin, "I'm beginin' to dislike them myself."

"You don't seem to understand the concept of revenge, Rogue," Carly taunted, ignoring the other two X-Men. "I don't _just_ want you dead. I want you to suffer like I've suffered. As a matter of fact, I think I'll be able to link your mind with Remy's. That way you can feel him slip away like I did Kenny."

"Somehow, I just don't think that's gonna happen."

A new voice interrupted the conversation and before anyone could move, a wave of ice crashed through the trees separating the X-Men from their enemies.

"I suggest we get the hell outta here," Iceman appeared in front of them one his own mini-wave of ice. "Anyone going my way?"

**xxxx**

Wolverine paced the dark cave, muttering to himself. He, Rogue, Gambit and Iceman had managed to escape back to the hideout via Iceman's wave. For the last half-hour, they had done nothing but discuss strategies. It was beginning to piss him off.

"Can we just make a move already?!" He practically yelled, cutting off Scott's latest plan, "The longer we hide out in here, the longer they have to regroup and figure out how to take us out. It ain't like there are a hundred of 'em. There's six of 'em left out there. Me and Ice could take 'em by ourselves."

"Oh, no. I'm gettin' a peice o' dem too." Remy retorted from his spot in the corner where Rogue was seated snuggly between his legs. Logan looked over at him and made a disgusted noise as he began pacing again.

Remy opened his mouth to say something but Rogue stopped him by placing two fingers on his lips. She moved her fingers and kissed him lightly, "Now ain't the time, sugah." She whispered.

"Anytime's the time to piss him off."

"Just...hush. Please?"

"Okay, p'tite. Whatever you say. You de boss."

"And don't you forget it," she turned back around to face the others.

"Wasn't plannin' on it." He kissed the back of her neck through her hair. "I love you." He whispered against her.

She leaned her head back against his shoulder, completely ignoring Scott and Bobby as they continued their discussion, "Ah love you, too."

"Y'know I t'ought I told you to high-tail it if we ran into trouble. Instead you go and challenge de woman to a fist fight."

"She was aimin' a _gun_ at you, Remy. Ah done seen you get shot once. Once is more than enough for me."

He squeezed her against him, "An' I've seen you layin' in a hospital bed wit' no chance o' recovery. So how 'bout dis? If you promise not to taunt de crazy lady, den I promise not to get shot again."

She turned and kissed him again, "Deal."

"Jean," was the only explanation Logan offered as he stalked toward the mouth of the cave.

The other X-Men sat anxiously in the cave, waiting for Logan to come back. When he did, Jean was with him, carrying the Prof in a telekinetic bubble.

"Scott, are you alright?" she knelt beside him and ran a hand over his face. "Your leg---"  
"It's fine. Are _you_ okay?" She nodded and smiled sweetly before falling into his embrace.

"I think I have managed to hide us from Carly for the time being," the Professor addressed his team a few moments later. "But I cannot do that for long before she picks up on it. I also sense that back-up has arrived. We're outnumbered. There are nearly sixty of them. However, Jean and I have a plan."

**xxxx**

"Dis plan sucks!" Gambit yelled, racing through the jungle at breakneck speed. Wolverine was right behind him.

"Shut-up and run, Gumbo! They're gainin'!"

The two X-Men came to a clearing and nearly doubled over from exhaustion. They turned around to see the soldiers through the trees running towards them.

"Playtime." Remy smiled pulling out a deck of cards as Wolverine unsheathed his claws.

**xxxx**

"Two of the X-Men are headed East. My men are gaining on them," Simon assured his lover.

"Oh, Charles, how predictable," Carly smiled. "Tell your men to hold back. We're on our way."

**xxxx**

"What de hell?" Remy and Logan watched as their enemies stopped at the edge of the forest.

"Shit. They ain't comin' into the clearin'. I think they know what we got planned."

_ What do we do, Chuck? _Wolverine asked their leader.

There was no response for a long moment. The two X-Men watched the bad guys watch them. No one moved.

**xxxx**

"We have to take the fight to them, Charles." Scott said, "She knows our plan. We don't have any other choice."

"Professor, you better think o' somethin' quick!" Rogue urged toward the opening, "We have to help them."

Xavier said nothing. Logan and Remy were a few hundred yards away and if Carly got to them first...

He looked at what was left of his team. Bobby was injured, though trying desperately not to show it. Cyclops couldn't walk. Rogue was powerless, though she clung to the gun Gambit had given her for dear life. Jean entered his mind and spoke to him.

_ Professor, Scott's right. We have to go. Logan and Remy don't stand a chance alone._

_ I know that. But I have no transportation. Bobby and Scott are hurt. Rogue---_

_ I can carry you with my telekinesis. And I think I can fashion a splint for Scott with my telekinesis also. Bobby and Rogue can take care of themselves. Charles, we need to go. Now. Otherwise, Carly has won._

_ You're right. Win or lose, this will be our last stand. Contact Kitty, Jean. Tell her to evacuate the students and get as far away from the school as possible._

**xxxx**

Cecilia Reyes slipped though the shadows around the back of the mansion. Paige had called her moments ago on her cell and breathlessly told her what was happening. Cecilia had raced back to the Institute at breakneck speed, parked her car down the road and approached the school on foot so as not to be seen. Perspiration gathered across her forehead and on her top lip as she crept closer to the hidden door that led to the underground tunnels beneath the school. She reached out for the doorknob, but was suddenly pulled away from the door. She felt an arm wrap around her waist, while her mouth was silenced by a gloved hand. She started to scream and struggled against her assailant.

"Hey, hey, hey. Hush, will ya? Ya want the bad guys to hear us?"

She stopped struggling and felt the man's arms relax around her. She whirled and found herself face-to-face with Sam Guthrie.

**xxxx**

Phoenix, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit and Rogue stood in the middle of the clearing. The Professor was several feet behind them, shielded by a huge boulder. Jean had provided Scott with a telekinetic splint and though every step pained him, he could at least walk now. Rogue stood beside Gambit, their hands clasped together. They watched as slowly, with guns drawn, their enemies emerged from the forest, Carly and the Colonel in the lead.

"Ready, Chere?"

"Sure," she replied tightly, dropping his hand and raising her rifle. "You be careful, darlin'."

Remy placed his hand on the rifle and lowered it from her shoulder. He turned her face towards his and kissed her lips gently. He pulled away, smiled at her, then turned back to the task at hand. Rogue couldn't help the small grin that escaped as she raised the gun again.

"Xavier," Simon called across the field, "We're willing to give you one more chance. Turn yourself and Rogue over to us and we'll leave."

"And I'll give _ you_ one more chance, bub. Get the hell outta here or I'm gonna show you the best way to use adamantium," Logan called back.

Simon smiled at him briefly. Then raised his gun and opened fire.

**xxxx**

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Cecilia swatted Sam's chest, "What's wrong with you?!"

"I was tryin' to stop you before you went in to let you know you had back-up. Shouldn't we form some kinda plan before we go in there?"

As if to answer his question, multiple gunshots could be heard from inside the building.

"Oh my God," Cecilia gasped. Before she or Sam could react, the door behind them flew open and Xavier's students came running out. The terrified kids shoved past the two adults and kept running towards the front of the estate.

"Cecilia! There were some baddies around that side of the house standing guard. We gotta stop the kids before they---"

"Say no more," Cecilia stepped forward and called on her mutant curse. The thing that made her different. The thing that had ruined her life. In an instant, a huge plasmic force field surrounded the fleeing students. She concentrated and forced the children back towards her and away form the enemies waiting yards around the corner.

"It's okay, kids. We'll get y'all outta here. Just not _that_ way." Sam stepped toward them so that they could see his face better.

"Sam?" Paige's voice called form the doorway. She held the door open with one arm, her other was around Jubilee. The raven-haired girl slumped against her, nearly unconscious.

"Paige," relief flowed through him at the site of his baby sister alive and well. Beast came out behind her carrying Storm. "Where are you guys going? Where is everyone else?"

"Either dead or fighting," Beast answered. More students continued to file out behind him. "The Professor sent us a message to get the children out. I fear our friends don't stand much of a chance."

"Not if that gunfire is any indication," Sam felt overwhelming dread at the thought of his teammates being slaughtered. "Ah gotta go help 'em, Hank."

"I'm sure they would welcome the aid, Samuel. But I fear it may already be too late."

"You just get everyone else away. Me and Cecilia are goin' in."

**xxxx**

The battle was on. The injured and outnumbered X-Men, spread out and used the Danger Room terrain to their advantage. Soldier after soldier fell, but there were so many that for the X-men, victory seemed nigh impossible.

Rogue had positioned herself near the Professor to act as his only protection. She had her rifle propped up on the boulder and took out several of the soldiers before they had a chance to get close to the core of the battle.

Gambit and Cyclops found that since neither was at full strength, teamwork was their best asset. They took out bad guy after bad guy. None of the soldiers could get within twenty feet of them and Rogue made sure that none of the one that were staying back got any unfair shots at them.

Iceman held nothing back as he rode his ice wave high above the battle field, freezing his adversaries to the ground. He and Phoenix stayed above the fight so they could easily cover their teammates.

Logan was a killing machine. And though none of the X-Men could spare more than a split second to watch him, his methods of self-defense made them all a bit queasy.

Carly and Simon held back, thinking that their victory was inevitable. They weren't counting on backup.

Cannonball came shooting through that Danger Room, Cecilia Reyes clinging to him for dear life. He landed them near Rogue and the Professor.

"Sam!" Rogue called over to him, as she took out another soldier, "What the hell are you doin' boy?"

"Ah came to save ya'll's asses." He set Cecilia down. "You stay with the Prof. Use your force field to keep him safe."

Cecilia nodded, but said nothing as she went to kneel next to the Professor.

Sam crouched next to Rogue and surveyed the battle. "Looks like we're holdin' our own."

"Fer now," Rogue fired again. "But Remy and Scott are exhausted. Ah don't know how much longer they can keep this up."

"Well, that's where Ah come in," Sam grinned then blasted himself towards the heart of the battle.

**xxxx**

Carly watched as the new mutant flew through the center of her forces, taking out several of her men in an instant.

"These are the best men you could find me?" She asked Simon in irritation. "Come on. We'll have to take care of this ourselves."

**xxxx**

"They're falling back," Scott almost smiled at the retreating men. The combined efforts of himself, Remy and Sam proved to be too much for them. Jean and Bobby landed next to him.

"Are you aright?" Jean went to Scott immediately.

"I'm fine. Are you?" She nodded, then turned to look at their enemies. There were about a dozen gunmen left, plus the Colonel and Carly.

Wolverine moved to stand next to Gambit, "You keep an eye on Rogue, Gumbo. Things are about to get real ugly."

Remy looked over his shoulder. Rogue had come out from behind the rock and was headed towards him. He shook his head at her and motioned for her to take cover. She hesitated but finally complied. Remy turned back around. The men had stopped retreating. In fact, no they were slowly advancing again. This time with Carly and the Colonel.

"Alright X-Men," Cyclops called, "Let's get this over with."

The X-Men spread out, and Remy moved back closer to Rogue.

"You ready, girl?'

"As Ah'll ever be. You okay?"

"I'm fine. A li'l beat up. My arm's killin' me, but it could be worse, non?" He smiled at her, then gave her a wink before the battle started up again.

This time, Carly went strait for Jean. Wolverine sliced his way over to where the two women were battling one another telepathically. Jean was obviously losing. Logan went in for the kill, his claws seeking out Carly's throat. Before he could reach her, his felt his knee cap being shattered as an adamantium bullet forced it's way though his bones. He fell to the ground and looked up to see the Colonel leering at him.

**xxxx**

"Cecilia," Xavier spoke to the reluctant mutant woman, "I need your help. The X-Men are weakening. Jean is all but defeated. I need you to lower your field so that I can help them." Cecilia nodded and concentrated on weakening her force field so that Xavier could join the battle, but also keeping it strong enough to keep the two of them safe.

**xxxx**

Carly reached a hand towards Jean and called to Rogue, "Pay close attention, little X-man. Your friend is about to lay down her life for you." Rogue turned toward Carly's voice. She had been so busy covering the other X-men, she had forgotten about Jean and Wolvie. Wolverine was laying a few feet from Jean. The Colonel stood above him. Rogue gasped as she watch the man shoot Logan repeatedly at pointblank range. Carly smiled as Rogue watched Logan's body convulse as the bullets riddled him, then turned back to Jean. Her outstretched hand began to glow as Jean scream echoed through the Danger Room.

"I don't think so, Carly," Xavier whispered as he silently entered the fray.

Carly let out a grunt as Xavier forcibly removed her from Jean's mind. She stumbled back, but it only took her a split second to regain her ground and go after Jean and the Professor. She was holding nothing back. While the remaining X-Men fought the remaining gunmen, the three telepaths seemed immersed in a deadlock battle. None of them giving an inch. Then suddenly, it seemed as if Carly gained her second wind. With a huge surge of power, she knocked both Charles and Jean to the edge of consciousness.

Jean fell to her knees, only having enough strength to whimper as she hit the ground. As her psychic powers weakened, so did her telekinetic ones. Without warning, Cyclops felt the intangible splint disappear and he too hit the ground. In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by six armed enemies.

Carly Montgomery was winning. _ She_ knew it and the X-Men knew it. Both Xavier and Jean were tiring. They'd only be able to hold out for a little while longer. With a bit more effort, she could destroy them both, then finally destroy her brother's killer. So close was her victory that she became delirious with the certainty of it. She let her guard down.

Preparing for the final assault that would take out her old mentor and his little red-headed telepath, Carly was taken completely by surprise when a psychic knife was plunged through her skull.

Carly screamed as Psylocke continued her attack, plunging the knife in repeatedly, each stroke harder than the one before it.

"You psychotic bitch!" Betsy screamed, tears flowed down her flushed cheeks as she continued her assault. "You killed him! You fucking killed him!"

"Oh no," Rogue whispered, realization dawning on her as she heard Elizabeth's desperate cries. "Oh, god, Remy. Warren's dead!"

Remy, who had just taken down another enemy a few feet away, swore under his breath. Rogue was right. Nothing else could explain Psylocke's rage.

Jean Grey-Summers staggered to her feet. Psylocke had bought her some time, but she had to work quickly. Betsy could only hold out so long against such a powerful adversary. Jean closed her eyes and blocked out Carly's screams of agony and Psylocke's cries of anguish. She momentarily pushed aside her own grief at the revelation of Warren's death. She had to be totally focused. Carly had weakened her, and in truth, she knew that she probably had one good shot at her enemy and then the game would be over, one way or another. Furrowing her brow, Jean summoned the Phoenix force.

Betsy felt herself weakening and felt her opponent begin to resist the effects of her mental knife. "No!" She screamed. Warren's lifeless body was the only thing she could see. With a renewed lust for vengeance, she pulled her knife back, ready to begin a second wave of assault. Then, she collapsed to the floor.

Carly stood from where she had fallen when Elizabeth first attacked her. She turned to look at Psylocke's still body and whispered, "You have a delicious power. And I know just how to turn it around on you ten-fold." She laughed lightly, "Yes. I'll deal with you later."

"But you will deal with us now." It was Jean Grey's voice, but beneath it lay tremendous power.

"The Phoenix," Carly whispered. She felt afraid for her life for the first time since her powers manifested years ago.

"That's right," Jean smiled hauntingly as she rose up in the air, arms outstretched and completely consumed in flames.

The remaining solders took one look at Jean's display of ultimate power and headed strait for the hole they had blown in the Danger Room barely an hour before. Remy grabbed Cyclops under his arms and hauled him to his feet.

"We gotta get clear, Cyke!" Reluctantly, Scott allowed Gambit to pull him towards the safety of Cecilia's force field, all the while his eyes were locked on Jean. Iceman grabbed Psylocke and he and Cannonball went running for cover as well. None of them wanted to be out in the open while Carly battled the Phoenix. Rogue moved to follow them, but the slight movement from Wolverine's arm caught her attention.

"Oh mah god...He's still alive." She threw the strap of the rifle over her shoulder and went running to where Logan lay helpless and bleeding on the ground.

"Logan! Logan, can you hear me?!" She cupped his face in her hands and shook him slightly. "Come on, sugah. When's that healin' power gonna kick in, huh?"

Slowly, Wolverine's eyes opened, "R-Rouge---"

She let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank god. Come on, sug. We gotta get you clear before Jean gets _real_ mad."

"Nn--" His eyes went wide and he tried to reach for her arm.

"What is it?"

"I think he's trying to warm you that I have a pistol aimed at your head." Rogue whirled around an came face-to-face with Colonel Greene.

**xxxx**

Carly's strength surprised Jean. She figured unleashing the power of the Phoenix would increase her chance of winning, unfortunately, the cosmic powers only seemed to make the fight fair. Jean cried out as she felt her grip on the Phoenix slipping as she fought top gain the upper hand in the fight. Then she heard the Colonel speak.

"Mrs. Summers! I think I have something you should see."

Jean chanced a glance in the Colonel's direction and felt as if she were already defeated. Greene had Rogue hostage, with a pistol pressed to her temple.

**xxxx**

"Where's Rogue?" Gambit asked his teammates as he settled Scott to the ground next to the Professor.

"She was behind us, I thought...Oh shit!" Bobby answered as he turned to looked behind them.

Remy followed Bobby's gaze and his blood began to boil. "Dat son of a bitch is mine."

**xxxx**

"I suggest you cool it with the special effects, lady or I'm putting a bullet through your teammate's pretty little head," Simon smiled at Jean.

"No, Jean!" Rogue yelled. "Blast both of 'em away! Think o' Scott and the baby! Don't worry about me!"

She was. Scott and their unborn child had been all she was thinking about. She had to protect them. But she couldn't sacrifice Rogue. There had to be another way...

Then she heard it: the unmistakable sound of kinetically charged playing cards whizzing through the air. She turned to her right and sure enough Gambit was running towards them. Greene cried out as a card hit him in each upper arm, forcing him to loosen his hold on Rogue. She yanked herself away from him and grabbed the rifle he had forced her to throw down only moments ago. Before she had a chance to aim it at the Colonel, Remy was on him.

Knowing that the situation was slipping out of her control again, Carly turned back to Jean, intent on taking her out of the fight permanently. Instead of using her mutant powers, this time Carly reached for her gun. The pistol never made it out of the holster. A shot rang out and Carly's body slumped to the ground. Remy stopped his assault on the Colonel and whirled around to see Rogue standing over Carly, the rifle still held at her trembling shoulder.

"Carly?" the Colonel spoke, his voice shaking. Gambit got off of him and went over to Rogue. Slowly, he took the gun from her arms and let it fall to the ground.

"It's over, p'tite." He whispered, pulling her into a hug, "It's all over now."

"No," Simon whispered as he half-crawled, half-dragged himself over to his lover, "Baby. No...No, no, no, no, no..." He pull her to him and buried his face in her shoulder as he rocked her limp body back and forth.

Jean lowered herself to the ground as the other X-men came forward. Cecilia knelt next to Logan, "He needs medical attention ASAP." She tuned to Jean.

"I'll get him and Psylocke to the Med Lab," Sam volunteered. "You guys meet me down there."

Jean nodded, then made her way over to Scott. He had managed to get himself upright, and was leaning against the boulder. He watched her come towards him and studied her face. When she was barely three feet from him, her resolved broke and she threw herself into his arms with a sob.

"It's okay, hon." He whispered into her hair, "It's over."

"No!" Simon suddenly screamed, jumping to his feet. "It's _not_ over! Not until you all pay for what you've done!"

Bobby stepped forward, "Why don't you go bury your dead girlfriend and leave us in peace?"

"I t'ink dat would be best," Remy said quietly, "Unless you want us to finish with you what we started with her." He nodded his head toward Carly's body.

"She's not dead," Jean said quietly, "I can sense her. She's very weak, but still alive."

"If you leave now," Cyclops spoke up, "We won't come after you. But if any of us ever see your face again, we'll make you pay for what we've lost here today."

"What about what _ I've_ lost?! What _she's_ lost?!"

"What about it?" Cecilia glared at him from her spot next to Wolverine. The Colonel went to open his mouth again, but wisely shut it after a quick glance at the super humans before him. He stood a moment, trying to decode exactly what to do. Then he knelt and picked up his lover. He gave each of the X-men one last look then headed for the exit.

"Dey gone, Roguey. Dey gone. It's all over now." Remy whispered into Rogue's hair, rocking her back and forth. She wrapped her arms around him, finally felling safe. Then she heard a voice inside her head.

_ This is not over Rogue ... I will come back. Your friends will never be safe. Eventually all of them will die. Because of you._

Rogue went rigid in Remy's arms as Carly spoke to her.

"Chere?" Remy pulled back and looked at her. Her expression was unreadable.

"She looks like she's in shock. Get her down to the Lab, Remy," Cecilia ordered as she and Sam moved to pick up Logan.

**xxxx**

"Mmm...what happened?" Warren Worthington III slowly opened his eyes for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours.

"Warren," Betsy breathed with a huge smile. She stroked his face tenderly with her fingers. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful. Is everyone alright?"

"We had some injuries. But everyone should be okay in a few weeks."

"So we won?"

"...For the most part. Rogue shot Carly. She's probably dead by now. Some of her men got away. Most were killed, but we took a few prisoner. They're being questioned by the authorities, but they aren't talking. Either they don't know where to find her or she's paying them _ very_ well."

"Probably a little of both," Warren moved to sit up and gasped as pain shot through him. "Fuck, that hurts."

"I know. Here let me help you." She helped him settle back on his pillows. "The police seem surprisingly eager to find her and whoever else helped her. They don't much like the fact that a school was attacked and children were injured."

"Are _you_ okay?" Warren took her hands in his. "The last thing I remember is the explosion."

"I'm fine. Your wings protected us for the most part. But then another bomb went off and we were separated. When I finally found you..." Her voice broke and she looked away. She took a few deep breaths and looked back at him. He was confused by her actions so she smiled as best she could at him and went on with her story. "When I finally found you, I couldn't sense any brain activity and you weren't breathing. I thought you were dead." She broke then and he pulled her to him.

"But I wasn't. I mean, I'm not...am I?"

She pulled back with light laugh, "No. Beast found you. The rest of the team was in the Danger Room. The bad guys busted in and the X-Men were separated. Colossus and Beast decided that the students needed to be evacuated. After I realized you were dead, I was so angry, Warren. And hurt. I wanted Carly dead. So I went after her. I ran into Beast and Colossus. They asked me where you were and I told them. Beast said you were technically dead for nearly three minutes." Another round of tears began falling and she buried her face in his bare shoulder.

"Shhh. It's okay, baby. We're okay."

"Warren...If it wasn't for our advanced technology---"

"Shhh," he soothed her while running his hand over her hair.

**xxxx**

Rogue was on her way down to the Med Lab to help Hank and Cecilia with distributing lunch to the patients when she passed Warren's room and heard Betsy crying. Quietly she crept to the doorway and peered inside. Warren was sitting up against his pillows, his bandaged, singed wings towering above him as he held Betsy to his chest.

Quickly, Rogue backed away from the door feeling like an intruder to the lovers' private moment. She tried to swallow the guilt that had been threatening to take her over the last 24 hours. Warren had technically been dead when Beast found him. She knew Betsy wouldn't have blamed her for Warren's death, but Rogue had seen the look on her face when she went after Carly. She heard the desperation and the pain in her voice as Psylocke screamed that her lover had been killed. Rogue never would have forgiven herself if Warren hadn't recovered. Betsy had always been one of her closest friends. If not for Psylocke, Rogue would never have woken from her coma.

Carly's departing words echoed over and over in Rogue's head.

_ I'll always come back._

_ They'll never be safe._

_ Eventually all of them will die. Because of you._

"No," she shook her head. "Ah cain't let them be hurt again because of me." She turned around and headed back towards her room.

**xxxx**

She watched his graceful, muscular form as he dipped and weaved, dodging his opponents and sinking the basketball through the net. He taunted Wolverine and Beast for a moment, then turned to give Cannonball - his b-ball partner - a high five before grabbing a bottle of water from the courtside bench. She had been watching him for nearly twenty minutes from inside before she put on a jacket and a pair of gloves and walked out to the court.

The minute he saw her, his face lit up. "Be right back, gentlemen," he called to the boys before jogging over to her, a stupid grin plastered across his handsome face.

_He's some piece of work_. She smiled. He was _her_ piece of work. And she loved him so much it hurt.

He didn't say a word as he approached her. Instead, he just took her by the arm and kissed her gently. After a few moments, he pulled away leaving Rogue feeling dizzy with desire.

"Can I help you wit' somethin' belle?" He grinned again as he licked his lips seductively.

"No. Ah was just comin' to tell you bye...Ah'm goin' into town for a little bit." The lie caught in her throat and she thought she might choke on it. This was harder than she'd ever imagined it be. She'd never lied to Remy before. She just hoped that he wouldn't see through her now.

"Oh. Okay...Ya alright, Chere? You look upset."

She was. Her eyes were wet with tears and it hurt to swallow around the lump that had found itself a new home in her throat.

"Yea, yea. Ah'm fine. I'm still kinda shook up about the whole Carly thing...but Ah'm fine. Really. Ah just wanted to let you know...that Ah was leavin'."

"Okay," Remy studied her closely. Something was definitely wrong. "You want me to come wit' you? I can go grab a shower and be ready to go in fifteen minutes."

"No. Ah'm fine, Remy. Really. Ah think Ah just want a little time alone anyway."

Slowly, he nodded, "Okay. But you got your cell phone wit' you?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded as she tried to inconspicuously wipe away a tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Hey," he caught her hand and forced her to look at him, "What's wrong?"

"Ah'm still a little shook up, Remy. That's all."

"Maybe you shouldn't be drivin'---"

"Remy, please. Ah'm fine. Just...go back to your game."

"If you're sure...?"

"Ah am. Go. Have a good time."

"Okay. I'll see you later. Maybe we can go out to dinner tonight, hmm? Or how 'bout I fix up a big dinner for de team and' we tell dem de news tonight?"

"That...sounds wonderful." Another tear fell.

"Hey," he lowered his face so that it was even with hers, "You're worryin' me girl."

She forced a smile, "Ah'm fine. That sounds great. Sounds like a plan."

"Alright, den. I'll see you in a little while. Love you." He kissed her again then pulled away. "You be careful." He kissed her forehead and started back towards the others.

Rogue grabbed his unbandaged arm and forced him to turn around. Standing on her tiptoes she launched herself at him. She kissed him for, what she knew would be, the last time. Remy recovered from his surprise almost instantly and easily matched her passion. When the lovers pulled away they were both gasping for air.

"Ya sure you got to go into town? Maybe you and I should continue dis elsewhere."

She laughed weakly, "Ah love you, too." She whispered the words then turned away from him and walked briskly towards the garage.

Remy watched her go, perplexed. Something was going on that she wasn't telling him. He'd just have to get it out of her tonight.

"Come on, Cajun! Cut it out with the goo-goo eyes and let's play some ball."

He went back to the guys and they continued their game, though this time Remy's heart just wasn't in it.

**THE END**

**Oh, come on, you know I can't end it there! ;)**

This chapter is freakin' 32 pages long! I have rewritten it soooo many times. I'm just sick of it at this point and want to move on with the story so I hope that this chapter wasn't too hard to follow or anything. Anyhow, please review...I had a bad week and they would make me feel better. :)


	17. Alone In the Rain

**Sorry y'all. No review responses this time. I'll do some next time though, I promise. :)**

Recap: Some of the X-Men have taken a vacation to a large cabin Xavier owns in North Carolina. Rogue and Remy went into town for supplies and ran into a bit of trouble with some locals. Later that evening, they are again attacked by men with guns and inhibitor collars. Rogue is taken prisoner and Remy is left for dead. The other X-Men find him and go after Rogue. Finally, and with quite a bit of trouble, the X-Men find Rogue, but it's too late. Carly, a woman who has hated Rogue for years for the murder of her brother, causes Rogue's power to haywire and she basically goes crazy with power overload and causes the building to collapse. The X-Men are too late to save her from the crumbling building. They take her broken body back to the mansion and soon discover that her mind has been "destroyed". Months later, Psylocke helps "heal" Rogue's mind. Just as things are getting back to normal, Carly and her men attack the Institute. The X-Men win, with some injuries. As Simon is leaving with Carly's half-dead body, she tells Rogue that her friends will never be safe. With that thought haunting her, Rogue decided to leave Xavier's.

**Chapter 16 Flashback:** Rogue grabbed his unbandaged arm and forced him to turn around. Standing on her tiptoes she launched herself at him. She kissed him for, what she knew would be, the last time. Remy recovered from his surprise almost instantly and easily matched her passion. When the lovers pulled away they were both gasping for air.

"Ya sure you got to go into town? Maybe you and I should continue dis elsewhere," he asked breathlessly.

She laughed weakly, "Ah love you, too." She whispered the words then turned away from him and walked briskly towards the garage.

Remy watched her go, perplexed. Something was going on that she wasn't telling him. He'd just have to get it out of her tonight.

"Come on, Cajun! Cut it out with the goo-goo eyes and let's play some ball."

He went back to the guys and they continued their game, though this time Remy's heart just wasn't in it.

I don't own the X-Men. Damnit.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 17

**xxxx**

"Hey, Rogue," Bobby knocked on his friend's bedroom door. "I was gonna go pick up some pizza for dinner. You wanna come with?" When he got no response, he opened the door a crack. "Rogue?" He stepped inside the small bedroom and looked around. There was no sign of her.

_Maybe she's downstairs. _He turned to leave, but something on the middle of her perfectly made bed caught his eye. Three envelopes. Two white and one pink. Feeling especially nosy and disregarding the fact that Rogue would kill him if she caught him going through her stuff, he picked them up. One of the white ones had "Logan" scribbled on it in Rogue's hand writing. The other was blank. The pink one said "Remy".

"Well, I _know_ I don't want to read _ that_ one." He tossed the pink one back onto the bed. "It's probably a list of things she wants to do to him." Bobby shuddered. "And I really don't want to get caught readin' Wolvie's stuff, so..." He slipped his hand inside the blank envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. A glance at the first few lines was all he needed to send him running out the door and down the stairs.

**xxxx**

"Scott!" Bobby skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs after nearly colliding with the older man. "Sorry," he grabbed Scott's arm to keep him upright. "Where's the Professor?"

"I think he's down in the Lab with Hank. Why? What's some important that you have to knock down a crippled old man?" Scot attempted a joke as he readjusted his crutches.

"Rogue's gone."

**xxxx**

"She left these." Bobby produced the three envelopes and handed them to the Professor. He looked them over before opening the blank one. He scanned the page quickly before looking back up at Bobby.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"At breakfast. Remy said she went into town earlier. Said she wanted to be alone. I figured she was still upset about yesterday, so I went to ask her if she wanted to go on a pizza run with me. She wasn't in her room, but those were on her bed."

Charles closed his eyes and nodded, "Alright. Iceman, call an emergency meeting. Only senior members are to be present."

**xxxx**

Remy sat at the circular table in the War Room. He watched as his fellow X-men filed in and sat down. No one seemed to know what was happening. Remy felt apprehension rise in his stomach. He reluctantly recalled another time when they had all been asked to the War Room. He remembered every detail about that meeting. At least the details up until the point when they told him Rogue was hurt. Then it was all a blur.

Remy shuddered as he forced the bitter memories away and reminded himself that today there would be no life altering news. He wouldn't feel his world spin out of control. Rogue was fine. She was still shaken up - hell, they _all_ were. Carly's attack had shaken them to their very core.

"How's the arm?" Logan's voice interrupted his unpleasant thoughts. Wolverine sat down beside him, chewing on an unlit cigar.

"It's a'ight. Hank said it was a clean break. Six weeks and it'll be good as new."

"Good to hear," Logan grunted as the Professor entered the room, followed by Iceman. Bobby closed the door behind him, then moved to take his seat. He glanced at Remy momentarily, but Gambit didn't understand the look on his teammate's face. Remy looked around the table. Everyone was at their place now, except for Rogue.

An internal alarm went off and Remy was on his feet.

"Where's Rogue?" He asked the room. Everyone looked at him in confusion - except Bobby who carefully avoided eye contact - and the Professor.

"Remy, please sit down-" Xavier began.

"Non," Remy cut him off, panicked. He turned to Bobby, "Drake! Where is she?"

All eyes turned to Bobby, who finally looked up, "She's gone."

Remy felt as if all his strength was being sucked from him. His mouth went dry and his palms became sweaty.

"Where!" he practically shouted.

"I don't know," Bobby countered slowly and quietly.

"Dat's bullshit, Bobby! Where is she!" Remy started towards him, but Logan caught his arm.

"Calm down, Cajun. Drake hasn't done anything. Sit down and listen to the Prof."

Remy glared at Logan for several tense moments before jerking his arm away. He turned to Xavier.

"Where _is_ she?" he ground out quietly.

"I don't know-"

Before he could finish, Remy started towards the door.

"Remy wait," Charles called. "She left these," he held up the letters for the first time.

Xavier held the pink envelop towards him. Remy looked at it a moment before snatching it away and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Charles cleared his throat before holding one of the letters towards Logan. Wolverine looked at him in confusion before taking the letter. Then Charles opened the remaining envelope. He skimmed the letter briefly before reading it out loud. When he was done, he folded it and slid it back in its envelope and placed it on the table.

"We're not going after her, are we?" Bobby asked, looking down at the floor.

"She asked us to respect her choice to leave. Though I do not agree, and I know the rest of you don't either, Rogue is an adult. There's nothing we can do except pray for her safety and happiness."

Logan stood up swiftly, knocking his chair to the floor. "That's bullshit, Charles. And all o' you know it. She belongs here just as much as the rest of us. Where is she gonna go? This is her _home_."

"You're right Logan, but-"

"Save it," Logan cut him off and stalked out of the room.

"He's right," Betsy spoke up. "This _is_ bullshit. You realize that Wolverine's going after her. And Gambit as well."

"Logan will probably have better luck tracking her," Xavier sighed, "but it's not for them or us to decide what is best for Rogue."

**xxxx**

** Remy,**

** I'm so sorry. I know that's not the best way to start off a letter, but it'll do. I wish things could be different. I love you so much. I never thought I'd feel for anyone what I feel for you. And I know you feel the same way about me, so I know this is going to hurt you. I realize that you may never forgive me for this and that kills me. But I can't stay here. We got lucky this time. No one was hurt too badly, but Jean and Scott are going to have a little family soon. And the students are getting younger and younger each year. I can't live with the fear that we'll be attacked in our home again all because of me. I want all of y'all to be safe and if that means that I have to leave, then so be it.**

** I know you won't understand. I'm not asking you to. I just want you to respect what I have decided. Please believe me when I say there is nothing I want more than to marry you and start our own family. From the moment I saw you all I wanted was your love. And now that I have it, it feels like I'm throwing it away. But I'm not, Remy. I swear. I'll never stop loving you and I'll always treasure our time together. I won't blame you if you move on. If you find someone new that will make you happy, then you have my blessing. Just don't settle for less than you deserve. You are the most amazing man I've ever known and whoever you end up with should feel that way too. God, it kills me to think about you with someone else. The thought of someone else having your children, someone else sleeping next to you at night makes this even harder. But I have to go, Remy. For all of your sakes. Please don't hate me for this. Please try to understand. I love you.**

**Forever Yours,**

**Anna Marie**

"Anna," he whispered. Remy almost smiled. So he knew her real name after all these years. Tears that had been kept at bay while he read the letter were freed now. "Non. Non." He buried his face in his hands. He took a few moments to pull himself together, then stood up. He slipped her engagement ring off his pinky and placed it in one of the interior pockets of his trench coat. It had been sealed in the envelope with the letter. He buttoned the pocket securely and started toward the garage. He had to find her. He couldn't lose her. Could _ not_ live without her. Not again.

**xxxx**

He smelled her behind him long before she spoke. He kept quiet though, letting her make the first move.

"Ah see y'all got mah letters." She spoke quietly. If it weren't for his enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have known she spoke.

Logan said nothing. He didn't even turn to look at her. She sighed and walked around to sit down next to Logan on the bench underneath the bus stop shelter. They sat quietly next to each other for several long moments. The only sound was the incessant thumping of the light rain on the tin roof of the bus stop. Finally, Wolverine spoke.

"What is this, darlin'? What do you think you're doin'?"

"Logan. Don't start. Ah asked you here because Ah thought you would understand."

"You listen to me, girl. This is the dumbest thing you've ever done. And you've done some stupid things."

"Wolverine-"

"You know you're killin' Remy with this shit, don't you?"

She looked away then, trying to hide the tears. She wiped them away and looked back at her friend.

"That's why Ah asked you to meet me here. Ah want you to keep an eye on him. Try to keep him outta trouble when Ah'm gone."

"Rogue, we beat Carly. There's no need-"

"She'll come after him. She threatened to come after all o' y'all. Ah figure with me gone, maybe she'll leave y'all alone. But...Ah don't know Logan. I think she'll go after him even if Ah'm not with him anymore. She was in mah head. She knows how much he means to me."

"So next time we'll be ready for her. We're X-Men, Rogue. We don't run away from our problems. We find solutions. And if we can't find one, we make one."

"Yer makin' this harder than it has to be."

Logan glared at her for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Just promise me you'll be careful, darlin'."

That did it. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a fierce bear hug.

"If you need me, you know where to find me," Logan whispered into her hair.

They held one another a moment longer before she pulled away, "Thanks." She wiped her face with her fingers, but it did no good. Her tears kept coming, but she managed a smile.

Wolverine stood up and turned to walk away from her.

"Logan."

He turned back around.

"You will look after Remy?"

"Fer as long as he needs me to," he smiled and walked away, leaving Rogue to wait for her bus. Alone in the rain.

**Okay, yes it was short. But I just wanted ya'll to know that I'm still alive. School and work have been crazy. Add a personal life to the mix and well...It's not very pretty. Anyhow, I know that this chappy is mostly crap - it doesn't advance the plot at all. But the next chapter will take this story in a completely different direction and I wanted to get this one out of the way.**

**My Spring Break is in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, because I'm poor, I don't get to go to the beach or anything like that. But, those of you who enjoy my fiction will benefit.**

**I hope all of y'all are still reading. I can't apologize enough for the delay in updates.**

**Okay, so...same time, same place 2 weeks from now?**

**Hope to see you here!**

**-Alyx**


	18. It's Good to Hear Your Voice

Disclaimer : I don't own the X-Men. Damnit.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 17

RECAP: "Wolverine---"

"You know you're killin' Remy with this shit, don't you?"

She looked away then, trying to hide the tears. She wiped them away and looked back at her friend.

"That's why Ah asked you to meet me here. Ah want you to keep an eye on him. Try to keep him outta trouble when Ah'm gone."

"Rogue, we beat Carly. There's no need---"

"She'll come after him. She threatened to come after all o' y'all. Ah figure with me gone, maybe she'll leave y'all alone. But...Ah don't know Logan. I think she'll go after him even if Ah'm not with him anymore. She was in mah head. She knows how much he means to me."

"So next time we'll be ready for her. We're X-Men, Rogue. We don't run away from our problems. We find solutions. And if we can't find one, we make one."

"Yer makin' this harder than it has to be."

Logan glared at her for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Just promise me you'll be careful, darlin'."

That did it. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a fierce bear hug.

"If you need me, you know where to find me," Logan whispered into her hair.

They held one another a moment longer before she pulled away, "Thanks." She wiped her face, but it did no good. Her tears kept coming, but she managed a smile.

Wolverine stood up and turned to walk away from her.

"Logan."

He turned back around.

"You will look after Remy?"

"Fer as long as he needs me to," he smiled and walked away, leaving Rogue to wait for her bus. Alone in the rain.

xxxx

_**3 years later**_

"No," was the only word that Charles Xavier could utter when he awoke in a cold sweat from a very vivid nightmare. He turned his head to look at his nightstand. His alarm clock read 4:47am. It should have gone off 17 minutes ago. He lifted himself up on his elbows and examined the clock. Was he so engrossed in his frightening visions that he slept through it? That was odd - he was usually a light sleeper.

Wiping a hand across his ageing face, Charles turned in the bed and lifted himself into his hover chair. Then he left the room, his mind heavy with the premonitions that had plagued his dreams.

xxxx

"I need to speak with Charles about this Warren. Now. This dream...it was just _too_ real."

"It sounds more like a vision to me," Warren remarked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"My power doesn't work like that. I don't have the ability to foretell the future."

"Betts, calm down," Warren spoke to he quietly. "You've upset yourself so much that you're trembling."

Betsy swallowed and shook her head as she pulled on her silk robe and wrapped it tightly around her.

"Baby, where are you going?"

"This can't wait, Warren."

"It's not even 5:00 yet ---"

"I'll see you in a while," Betsy interrupted him before rushing out the door.

xxxx

"Go back to sleep, Scott," Jean whispered as she kissed her husband lightly on the cheek. A sleepy smile spread across his handsome face as he turned over, hugged his pillow and drifted back off to sleep.

Jean watched his sleeping form for a moment, a faint smile playing at her lips. No matter what their problems were - and there were plenty - she couldn't imagine a life without him. Couldn't imagine having children with anyone else. Her smiled widened as she placed a hand on her swollen stomach. Within the month, little Nicolas would have a baby sister.

It wasn't long before her happy thoughts were interrupted by the terrible ones that she had woken up to. Flames. Death. Pain.

The images were vague, but the terror she felt when she recalled them was clear.

Leaning over, Jean pulled a blanket over Scott, covering his bare back. Then walked quietly to the other side of the room and opened the door to the nursery. Nicolas was sleeping peacefully, sucking on his pudgy thumb. Silently, Jean closed the door to the nursery and made her way out of their cozy bedroom and into the halls of the Xavier Institute.

xxxx

Betsy sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen with a heavy sigh, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea. Charles was awake. She had talked spoken with him telepathically. He was going to meet with her and Jean after he had a shower and a few moments to collect his thoughts. He had sounded rattled and though he hadn't said so, Betsy suspected that he too had been subjected to the images that had woken her only a short time ago.

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the backdoor open. It was only when a quiet voice called to her did she realize that she wasn't alone.

"Hey Betts," Bobby greeted, closing the door behind him.

Betsy turned on her stool to watch him walk over to the fridge.

"Bobby," she returned with a slight nod.

Without looking at her, Bobby opened the fridge and grabbed a small carton of chocolate milk. He opened the carton, downing the contents in two gulps. Still not meeting her eyes, he crumbled the carton and tossed it into the trashcan. When he finally looked up at her, she immediately looked away.

"Oh, for the love of God, Betts! You _can_ look at me, you know."

Not in the mood for a confrontation, Betsy calmly looked him over, "Are you just getting in?"

Bobby looked down at his clothes. He wore dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt. A jean jacket and brown boots completed his ensemble. His light hair was gelled heavily and spiked on top of his head. Betsy could faintly make out the smell of cigarette smoke coming off of him.

"So what if I am?" he looked away.

"Where have you been?"

"Don't see how that's any of your business." He said harsher than he meant to and noticed her wince at his hasty words. Desperate to change the subject, Bobby cleared his throat and sat next to her at the counter.

"What are you doing up, anyway? It's like 5 in the morning. And it's Saturday."

"It's...psychic stuff. Charles and Jean are meeting me here in a few minutes.

She didn't offer any more, instead choosing to stare into her tea cup. Bobby took the opportunity to look at her. She was beautiful - as always. Her face was smooth, free of make-up and imperfection. Her hair, that appeared darker than usual in the dim kitchen light, was pulled back into a single braid that was draped across one shoulder. The pale pink robe clung to her generous curves and Bobby knew that more than likely, she wore nothing underneath it. Warren told him long ago of Betsy's preference to sleep in the nude. And recently, due to one of War's particularly long business trips, Bobby now knew firsthand. Shifting uncomfortably, Bobby cleared his throat again and attempted to banish the images of Betsy's smooth skin from his mind.

The temperature was rising. At least, that's what it felt like to Psylocke. She couldn't help but pick up on the arousing thoughts Bobby was having about her. And it pained her to admit that it was turning her on. Mentally shaking herself, she decided on a course of action. This _thing_ between them couldn't go on. It would destroy both of them and Warren if it was allowed to continue.

Abandoning her tea, Betsy got up and headed toward the door without a word.

"Where are you going? Thought you were waiting on Jean and the Prof."

"I'll...catch up with them later. I have to go."

"Betts. Don't go. I'll leave."

She glanced back at him from the doorway.

"I'm about ready to crash anyway." He got up and started toward the door. "Been dancin' all night. I'm exhausted."

He was next to her now, both of them standing in the doorway. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Then Betsy looked away and started back towards her stool. One look at her backside was his undoing.

Taking two strides, Bobby grabbed her forearm and jerking her around to face him. He didn't wait for a reaction. Betsy barely had time to gasp before Bobby's lips claimed hers.

Her mind was swimming. He had taken her completely by surprise and she was a _psychic ninja_. After the shock wore off, Betsy relaxed in his embrace, moving to wrap her arms around his neck and granting his tongue passage into her mouth.

Bobby moaned as Betsy arched against him, desperate for more contact. And then he found himself thrown across the room. He landed hard against the refrigerator. Various magnets fell to the floor as he looked at Betsy, completely taken aback. She had been enjoying it as much as he was. Why had she pushed him away? Then he heard Jean's voice down the hall. She was headed in their direction. Before he could speak, Betsy knelt to the floor, picking up magnets and snapshots that had fallen off the fridge. He knelt down to help her. Their hands touched as they simultaneously reached for the same magnet. Betsy jerked away and stood up just as Jean and the Professor entered.

"What happened in here?" Jean asked as she walked over to the coffee-maker and switched it on.

"Oh...Bobby just got in. He's a bit pissed," Betsy explained. "And the drunken idiot walked right into the refrigerator. She stood and replaced the magnets and laid the snapshots on the counter before turning back to Jean. "I'll just get him up to his room, then we can talk." She forced a smile as she took Bobby's arm and jerked him out of the kitchen.

xxxx

"See you later," Betsy mumbled as Bobby pressed the elevator button.

"Betsy, wait."

"What, Bobby?" she sounded ready to cry.

"Can we talk about this? Please?"

"No," she turned to walk away again but he caught her arm.

"_Please_."

"Just...not _now_, Bobby. I have to go. We have work to do."

"What work? What the hell is so important?"

"I think...its Carly."

xxxx

Remy LeBeau lay on his back, staring up at his bedroom ceiling in the early morning light. He glanced over at the alarm clock. It was after seven. He needed to get up. Jean Luc wanted him to fly to San Francisco today to take care of some business. He sighed. Jean Luc's 'business' seemed so insignificant these days. After being an X-Man for so long, after fighting the good fight, the Guilds' petty goals didn't interested him anymore. It was rare now that he would even get excited by the danger of a heist.

_What is wrong wit' me?_

He placed a hand over his face.

_You know what's wrong wit' you, Remy. De same t'ing dat's been wrong for de last three years._

He groaned. Days that started out this way always ended badly. Rogue was gone. And she had made damn sure that neither he, nor any of the other X-Men, could find her. Disgusted with himself, and life in general, he sat up and grabbed his shorts from their place on the floor. He slipped them on, then let his head rest in his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Thoughts of Rogue plagued his mind. He hated days like this. Usually he could get through the day - if he had enough work to do - with only a few thoughts of her. But today was going to be one long, agonizing thought about Rogue after another.

"Remy?" A sleepy voice called from the other side of the bed. "What are you doing?"

Remy turned and managed a smile at the woman who had shared his bed for the last 8 months.

"Mornin' Bethany," he leaned over to press a quick kiss on her lips.

"Mornin'," she smiled, closing her eyes and snuggling deeper into her pillow. "You headed out?"

"Mm-hmm. There's a meeting out in California. Jean Luc wants me dere."

Bethany opened her eyes, "Will you be back home tonight?"

"It'll be late, but I should be back tonight. Go back to sleep. I'll call you later." He kissed her once more before heading to the bathroom.

xxxx

A few minutes later, Remy stepped out of the shower just in time to hear the phone ring.

"Merde," he mumbled as he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back into the bedroom.

Bethany was sitting up in bed with the phone pressed to her ear.

"Wait, here he is," she said into the receiver before handing him the phone.

"Oui?" he asked, assuming it was Jean Luc wondering where he was.

"It's good to hear your voice, Remy."

"'Ro?" Remy grinned. "How are ya, chere?"

"I am well enough. But this isn't a social call, Remy."

"Didn't figure it was, 'specially since it ain't even 8 o' clock yet."

"I apologize for the early hour---"

"It's alright. I was up already. Gotta flight to catch."

"I think you may need to change your plans."

"And why's dat, Stormy?"

He heard Ororo sigh, obviously thinking over what she should say to him.

"Come on, 'Ro. Don't have all day."

"It's Carly."

"What?" His demeanor changed immediately. His voice was harsh, his stance rigid.

"Carly is back, Remy. She's active again and she's not being shy about it either. Charles, Jean and Betsy all felt her this morning. She's planning something huge, Remy. We need you to come home."

"I _am_ home. I'm sorry Storm, but dis really don' sound like it's my problem. I'm not an X-Man anymore, 'member?"

Ororo sighed and then said the only thing that was a surefire way to get him home.

"Remy, we know where Rogue is."

xxxx

I'm baaaaack. :)

I know it's been ages and I'm a terrible person. I'm so ashamed of how I've neglected this fic. But Marvel is really who y'all should blame. They've all but killed my love of the X-Men. :(

Anyway, its been really hard to get up the motivation needed to work on this fic. I've been working on some original fiction as well as some fanfics that aren't in the realm of X-Men. But I decided that Somebody Else's Song will be completed before the end of September and before I post any other stories. I'm ready to finish this baby up, and I can only hope that all my readers are still with me. I hope I haven't lost too many with my insanely long absence.

So thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. And a special thanks to Ivyzoe for the swift kick in the pant she gave me yesterday. :)

As a final note, if you're reading this, PLEASE review. Just a quick little note saying you either like it or hate it. Just let me know that people are still reading it. I plan to have a much longer chapter up Saturday. Also, if everything falls into place, Rogue and Gambit will be reunited (sort of) in the next installment.

Thanks!

-Alyx


	19. I'm Such a Jackass

I don't own the X-Men. Damnit.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 19

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'd like to thank you all individually, but since that's not allowed on this site anymore (grrrr)... Anyways, Spicey Sweet asked about R&R's ages. I never really considered their ages when I wrote this soooo, I guess they're in their mid to late 20's. A few other folks asked some questions about Carly and Bethany - these will all be answered in the next few chapters - I promise! Also, thanks to Tammy for Marvel's contact info. :D

xxxx

He was numb. They knew where she was.

_ How did they find her? Did she contact them? Does she want to see me? Does she still love me?_

_ Like I still love her..._

Remy looked down at his watch. His plane was taking off on time - that was a surprise. He'd be back at Xavier's a little after lunch.

_ At least most of the students will be back in class. Don' really feel like dealin' wit' a bunch o' loud kids._

He let out a breath. He felt terrible. He had lied to Bethany. He'd never done that before. From the very beginning of their relationship, she'd known he was a mutant, an X-Man, a thief. She also knew all about Rogue.

Bethany had been his friend for nearly two years before they became lovers. She had been there for him. And he had done the same for her when her marriage fell apart. And now he felt like the scum of the earth for not telling her he was going to New York.

_ Why did I do dat? She would've understood. Probably even offered to come wit' me - help me through it..._

But he didn't want that. And if he was honest with himself, it was because he didn't want his _girlfriend_ around when he saw Rogue again.

_ How can I even t'ink like dat! I love Bethany! She's amazing. She helped me through so much._

"I'm such a jackass," he muttered, causing the balding man in the seat next to him to look at him strangely.

Remy muttered an apology before forcing himself to settle down as the plane carried him back to New York for the first time in nearly three years.

xxxx

"What de hell are you sayin', Wolverine!" Remy was on his feet immediately, unable to believe the words he was hearing.

"Calm down, Remy," Psylocke said from her place beside him. "Let Logan finish."

"Non!" All rational thought escaped him, "I want to know why you haven't told me dis until now!"

"Rogue didn't want anyone else to know," Wolverine watched as Remy began pacing, his hands twitching to blow _something_ up. "She was trying to protect us."

Remy scoffed and shook his head, "Unbelievable."

_ All dis time and he _knew. _Logan _ knew _where she was and knew it was drivin' me crazy_ not _knowin'._

"Gambit," Professor Xavier spoke up, "Please take your seat. We need to figure out our course of action---"

"Oh, I've got your 'course of action', Prof! Tell me where she is so I can go get a few t'ings off my chest. Den, I'm goin' back to N'awlins where I belong. Dere. Dat's a plan."

"I told you we shouldn't have bothered to call him," Warren addressed Storm. "He isn't one of us anymore."

"According to you, War, I never was," Remy snapped.

"Remy," Jean spoke quietly, "Will you please sit down and listen to everything? We called you because we felt you deserved to know. If you don't want to be a part of this, you are more than welcome to leave."

He looked from Jean to Storm and sighed.

"Fine," he sank back in his chair and turned to Wolverine. "Dis isn't finished."

xxxx

"Alright, Lapin. I got it," Remy said impatiently, rolling his eyes. He switched the phone to his other ear. "I knew dat Jean Luc would be pissed...yea...I'll take care of dat when I get home. Okay? Yea. You do dat. Just don't tell Bethany about any of dis, you got it? Good. Now put her on. Merci."

"Remy?"

"Hey Bethy," he smiled into the phone. It was good to hear her voice.

"What's goin' on? Lapin's really pissed off. Where are you?"

"San Francisco, like I tol' you. An' don' worry 'bout Lapin. He'll be alright. Listen, petite, I know I said I'd be home tonight, but somet'ing has...come up."

"Oh. Well, how long will you be then?"

"Not sure. Not too long, hopefully."

"Well, what's come up?...Or is it Guild stuff?"

"Yea. Guild stuff," Another lie. "I'd rather you didn't know de details. Look chere, I gotta go. I'll call you soon."

"Okay. Be careful. I love you."

"You too," he barely got it out before he hung up the phone. He sat down heavily on his old bed and put his hands over his face.

"You okay?"

Remy looked up to see a very pregnant Jean Grey-Summers.

He attempted a smile, "I'm jus' dandy, Red. An' how are you?" Her concerned look didn't falter. Remy blew out a breath.

"You want de truth, den?"

"It's like it, yes." She sat down next to him on the bed.

"I feel like my heart's breakin' all over again." He said it so quietly that she barely heard him.

Gently, she reached over and took his hand "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"I wish you'd get some of what you're feeling off your chest. Its not good for you to carry all these negative thoughts and feeling around. They weigh you down. Distract you."

Silence feel between them for several moments before Remy spoke.

"T'ings have changed."

"Yes they have."

"It's been _too_ long. You can't jus'...go back to de way t'ings were before. No matter how badly you want to."

"Remy---"

"I met someone. A woman."

"...Oh?"

"She...she's special. She helped me through_ a lot_ of stuff. Matter of fact, I'm de reason her husband left her."

"I see."

"Non. Wasn't like dat. We were friends. I met her through Mercy, my sister-in-law. She introduced us at a party. T'ink she had a little crush on me at first. But I had too much to drink. Ended up tellin' her all about Rogue. I guess she figured I had too much baggage...But we became friends. Den she got married...She actually met her husband at dat same party, come to t'ink about it."

Remy rubbed his free hand down his face, but held tight to Jean's hand with the other.

"She practically forced me to start livin' again. Invited me out wit' her and her husband. She would take me to lunch - just de two of us - all de time. But her husband...he didn't like her hanging out wit' another man. We both told him our friendship wasn't a threat to him but...he jus' couldn't handle it. He left her. Broke her heart. An' it was my turn to repay her for all de kindness she'd shown me. Den...t'ings jus' changed. I started to see her differently. One night we went out dancin' and I saw dis guy get too friendly wit' her and I jus' lost it. Beat dat boy up pretty bad. We've been together ever since."

Jean sat quietly beside him, giving him time to finish. It was obvious to her that he felt guilty over his relationship with this woman. He needed someone to tell him that it was okay.

"Do you love her?"

"Yea."

"Then why did you come back?"

"I could lie to you and tell you its because I feel obligated to, but I doubt you'd but it."

Jean smiled softly, "Then why?"

"Because as much as I love Bethany...God help me, I love Rogue more."

Jean said nothing so Remy continued.

"I know dere's no future for me an' Rogue now. Hell, maybe dere never was. And Bethy's been so good to me...I hate lyin' to her. But I couldn't pass up a chance to see Rogue again. I never would've forgiven myself if I passed up dis chance. Plus, from what y'all said earlier, Rogue's in trouble. Even if I didn't want to see her again, I couldn't just stand by and do nothin'. She meant too much to me."

"She _means_ to much to you."

"Yea."

A few more moments passed before Jean spoke again, "There's no such thing as 'too long'."

"Hm?"

"You said 'its been too long'. It hasn't Remy. No matter what happens with Rogue and Carly, you'll always have a home here. "

Remy snorted, "No. Rogue was my home. Not dis place. And she and I are over so..." he trailed off with a sad smile. "Jeannie...I'm not sure I'd want to go back...even if I could."

Without a word, Jean put an arm around his shoulders. She smiled sadly when he leaned into her embrace.

xxxx

Okay, I know I said I'd try to get R&R "reunited" in this chapter, but I really wanted to post this tonight. And if I wanted to do that, then I had to leave it here. I hope y'all enjoyed it. And in the next chapter, we'll see what Rogue's been up to all this time. And we'll gat that promised Rogue/Remy interaction.

Please review and let me know what you think. It motivates me to write much faster. wink, wink :)

-Alyx


	20. The Same Girl You Knew

Spicy Sweet, send me your e-mail address and I'll send you the e-mail I got regarding review responses.

I don't own the X-Men.

It seems so petty to be writing something as insignificant as fan fiction with all that's going on in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. But I find that when I'm upset, I need to write to keep myself from going crazy. So here's a new chapter.

Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 20

Wolverine leapt out of the way just as the Two of Diamonds exploded behind him, blowing a large hole in the Game Room wall. With a feral growl he leapt at Gambit, but didn't release his claws. The Cajun needed a good tussle, not a visit to the emergency room. Plus Logan figured Remy had several good reasons for attacking him anyway.

Logan held back, not wanting to hurt Gambit, but it became clear to him fairly quickly that Remy had other ideas. He wasn't pulling his punches - and Logan was exhausted from trying to fend him off without actually fighting him - and keeping a hold on his own violent temper. There were no insults or accusations, just frustrated growls and exhausted pants.

Finally, Jean found them and used her telekinesis to pull them apart.

"You two have _got_ to be the most childish..." she muttered as she pulled them apart, throwing them against opposite walls. "Maybe that will knock some sense into you." Both of them opened their mouths to argue with her, but Jean silenced them with a look.

"I want you both to get a good look at me. I'm over eight months pregnant. I haven't seen my feet in _weeks_. My back aches, I cry at _diaper_ _commercials_. The last thing I need right now is the two of you going at each other like this."

They both had the decency to look away sheepishly and Jean smiled. "That's better. Now, Scott wants you two to suit up. He and Storm are ready to go."

"Non."

"Pardon?"

"I _said_ non. _He_ ain't goin' anywhere," Remy gestured at Logan.

"Got just as much right to go as you do, Cajun. At least Rogue cared enough to tell me goodbye _in_ _person_."

"You son of a bitch!" Remy was on him in an instant. And this time, Logan didn't pull any punches. They were both out for blood.

"That is ENOUGH!" Again Jean pulled them apart, this time the Phoenix force made itself known, cocooning Jean's body in orange flames.

Logan pulled himself up and rubbed his neck, "Damn Jeannie. That was a little uncalled for."

"Your behavior is uncalled for! Both of you are acting like children. For the love of God, don't you understand what's happening! Carly is active. There is no doubt in my mind, or the Professor's that she's coming after us and Rogue. She nearly killed us last time! And this time she's stronger!" Jean's voice broke and she looked away, trying desperately to hide the tears forming in her eyes. She placed a trembling had on her swollen stomach.

"Jean..."

"I'm fine. Just go. Scott wants to leave within the hour."

Remy moved to leave, but as he got to the door Logan's voice stopped him.

"I'll stay," he spoke to Gambit, but his eyes never left Jean. "I'll stay here while you and Scooter go get Rogue. The mansion needs all the Senior members it can get right now since we don't know where Carly is."

Remy didn't respond. As he took another step , Logan spoke again.

"Gambit ... Time has a way of changing people ... It's been three years. Things _have_ changed ... Just don't expect Rogue to be the same girl you knew."

Wolverine knew he pissed Remy off, but he didn't care. His only real concern at the moment was Jean.

Luckily Gambit had no desire to upset Jean anymore either, because he left the room without another word.

"Thank you," Jean turned and looked at him. Her tears were under control now, but she looked worn out.

Logan grunted and shrugged his shoulders, "Come on darlin'." He took her arm gently. "I think you need to lay down for a while."

xxxx

Remy stepped aboard the Blackbird a short while later, joining the other X-Men that were headed South to bring Rogue home. The smell was the same - victory, blood and technology. Strangely, it comforted him and as he slipped into a seat and fastened his safety belt, he felt more at home than he had in years.

He heard Scott order the doors closed and within seconds they were airborne. Silently, Remy took in his surroundings. A few things had changed - newer technology and such - but for the most part, the 'Bird looked the same. He turned his eyes to the front where his old teammates were. In addition to himself and Cyclops, Storm and Betsy had come along just in case there was trouble. The only thing they had to go on was what the telepaths had sensed that morning. Carly dropped off the Professor's radar after that and they were all on edge. And since they had no way of contacting Rogue, short of showing up on her doorstep, Remy was especially worried.

What if they were too late? What if Carly had already gotten to her?

Remy felt his throat constrict.

_Non. Cain't t'ink like dat. She's fine. She's strong. She'll be alright._

But he wasn't so sure.

xxxx

"Here we go," Cyclops mumbled to himself as hey neared the small town in central Tennessee. The plan was to land the jet in a clearing in the nearby woods then infiltrate the town. But he was worried. What if Carly was already here? What if she attacked the mansion while he was gone? His pregnant wife was there. And his baby boy. It took everything they had to beat Carly last time and they had suffered numerous injuries to their bodies and their home and _still_ she was alive and a threat to them.

He had never wanted an enemy dead before. Not even Magneto. But Carly was the exception. He had a family now. Two children and a wife that he loved more than anything. More than his values. More than The Dream. And he would do _anything_ to insure his family's safety.

"Scott?" Betsy's voice broke into his thoughts. He turned to where she sat beside him in the co-pilot's chair, but she wasn't looking at him. Her attention was instead focused on the screen in front of her that showed their coordinates.

"I don't mean to pry," her voice sounded in his head. "But you're broadcasting your thoughts very loudly. I'm trying my best to ignore them, but frankly dear, you're thinking too bloody loud."

Scott felt a small smile tug at his lips, "Sorry, Betsy." He said out loud.

She looked up at him with a slight grin, "Not a problem. Do you need to talk?"

"No. I'm fine. Just wired, I guess. What about you? You haven't seemed like yourself lately."

"I'm fine. A little rundown I suppose."

"You sure?"

"Scott," she said it sharply. "I'm fine. Drop it, will you?"

"Okay. Alright." For now.

xxxx

The town was small. Of course, that was no surprise. Rogue always had been and always would be a small-town girl. After landing the jet in a small clearing in the woods a few miles outside the town, the four X-Men changed into street clothes and headed into town. After a lengthy shouting match, Cyclops finally conceded to let Remy be the one to find Rogue and tell her what was happening. Psylocke would accompany him to serve as back-up if there was any trouble. Cyclops and Storm would, meanwhile, do a sweep of the town - looking for any sign of Carly or her men. Turning their communicators on, the four X-Men spit into their two teams as they reached the city limits.

xxxx

"Well, this is it," Betsy tilted her head as she looked at the small house. It was yellow with white shutters and a screened-in side porch. There was an old Mazda pick-up parked in the gravel driveway. The small yard was neatly trimmed with two small flower beds on either side of the front steps. "Seems like Rogue's done alright for herself. I mean, its a little small...but its cute."

Remy didn't respond. Couldn't. Even if he had anything to say.

Rogue was in there. In a matter of moments, he'd see her again. And nothing would be the same. Whether she welcomed him as an old friend or discarded him as an ex-lover - he knew. Today Rogue was going to change his life. Again.

"You want to talk to her alone first? Or shall we go in together?"

"If you don' mind---"

"I'll wait out here. Keep an eye out," Betsy smiled knowingly at him. "But don't take too long. I want to see her too."

Gambit gave her a small, uncertain grin.

"Are you _nervous_?"

"Haven't seen her on t'ree years Betts. 'Course 'm nervous."

"Don't be. She loved you, Remy. She'll be glad to see you."

"Hope so," Remy muttered as he headed towards the house, holding back tears at Betsy's words. _Loved_.

xxxx

"Anna! Come look at Jake! He's got flour everywhere!"

"What?" Anna answered as she came back into the kitchen, drying her hands on a small towel. "Oh mah---Paul! You were supposed to be watching him!" She couldn't help the laughter slipping into her voice as she looked at the small blonde boy sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor covered from head to toe in flour.

"I _was_ watching him. He started doing that and he was so funny - I couldn't just stop him."

Anna shook her head, "But you _could_ let him wreck the kitchen." Still smiling she picked up the giggling child and handed him over to his father. "_Ah'm_ going to finish up supper while _ you_ give this little monster a bath."

"Yes m'am," Paul grinned as Jake wiggled, covering him in flour as well. "Guess I'll need a shower too, huh?"

Anna rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the stove.

"Jake, why don't you run and go get your bathtub toys, huh?"

At the mention of 'toys', Jake's eyes lit up and he ran towards the back of house to his room to get them.

"Paul! He's gettin' flour everywhere!"

"Shhh," Paul pulled Anna closer to him, her back against his chest. "Would you care to join me in that shower?"

"Paul," Anna's her tone was not playful.

He sighed, kissed the back of her neck softly then stepped back, "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget...Can't help myself."

"It's alright. Why don't you jus' go take care of our son before he makes another mess?"

"Okay," Without another word, he left.

Anna let out a breath as she smoothed her hair back into its messy ponytail, then went back to work at the stove.

xxxx

Silently, Remy stepped into the screened-in porch. He took a step towards the door, when a movement through the window caught his eye.

"Rogue," He whispered. She was more beautiful than he remembered. Remy felt his throat constrict.

_Missed you so much, girl._

He moved closer to the window in order to see her better. She was standing over an the oven, stirring a large steaming pot. Her hair was pulled away from her face, but tiny curls of auburn and white managed to cling to her neck and face. She wore no jewelry or shoes - just a white tank top and a pair of denim cut-offs. The sight of her cooking in bare feet made Remy smile. He had never wanted that: A woman so comfortable in his kitchen that she'd go without shoes. Until Rogue. She had invaded his mind and spirit. Until her, Remy had been content to spend his time womanizing and gambling. Even after joining the X-Men, Remy wanted nothing to do with a domestic life. But looking at the woman before him now, he wanted nothing more than to watch her make meals for them to share with their children.

_Children?_

The thought startled him. Then just as quickly as it came to him, he became comfortable with it. In his mind's eye, he saw Rogue dressed much as she was now, only her belly was round with his child. A boy, he hoped. Because God help him if it was a little girl and _anything_ like her mother. He saw himself walk up behind her and place his hands on her shoulders. She smiled as he kissed her neck and slowly let his hands slide down to rest on her bulging tummy.

Rogue's cry brought him back to reality. He looked up to see her holding her hand. She'd hurt herself. He didn't see any blood---

His concern for her quickly turn to confusion when he saw a tall blonde man come through the kitchen doorway.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Remy watched as the man took Rogue's hand and examined it.

"I burnt it on the damn pot."

"It doesn't look too bad," he smiled at her.

"Well, it hurts like the devil."

"I'll go get you some aloe to put on it. Just give me a minute, I left Jake standing soaking wet in the middle of the bathroom. There's no tellin' what he's gotten himself into now."

"Okay. Supper's ready."

"Alright. We'll be right back."

Remy watched the man leave the room. He swallowed and forced all his emotions down. Now was not the time to get confrontational - with Rogue or her..._friend_. They were all in danger, and it was his job to get Rogue to safety. He could do that.

Slowly, he walked to rest of the way across the porch and opened the screen door. Then, he stepped quietly back into Rogue's life.

xxxx

_To be continued..._

xxxx

In the place of reviews, I am begging everyone to PLEASE donate to the relief fund for the hurricane victims. And if you can't afford to donate money, please please PLEASE pray for those left in Katrina's wake. Thank you.


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